--"Is he to come in?"
The girl spoke to the dog, and went in-doors. During her absence the
mastiff laid down at the threshold. In a few seconds the woman who had
brought us from Flushing came out, and desired us to enter. She spoke
very good French, and told us that fortunately her husband was absent;
that the reason why we had not been supplied was, that a wolf had met
her little girl returning the other day, but had been beaten off by the
mastiff, and that she was afraid to allow her to go again; that she
heard the wolf had been killed this evening, and had intended her girl
to have gone to us early to-morrow morning. That wolves were hardly
known in that country, but that the severe winter had brought them down
to the lowlands, a very rare circumstance, occurring perhaps not once in
twenty years. "But how did you pass the mastiff?" said she; "that has
surprised my daughter and me." O'Brien told her; upon which she said,
that "the English were really `_des braves_.' No other man had ever
done the same." So I thought, for nothing would have induced me to do
it. O'Brien then told the history of the death of the wolf with all
particulars, and our intention if we could not do better, of returning
to Flushing.

"I heard that Pierre Eustache came home yesterday," said the woman; "and
I do think that you will be safer at Flushing than here, for they will
never think of looking for you among the _casernes_, which join their
cabaret."

"Will you lend us your assistance to get in?"

"I will see what I can do. But are you not hungry?"

"About as hungry as men who have eaten nothing for two days."

"_Mon Dieu! c'est vrai_. I never thought it was so long, but those
whose stomachs are filled forget those who are empty. God make us
better and more charitable!"

She spoke to the little girl in Dutch, who hastened to load the table,
which we hastened to empty. The little girl stared at our voracity; but
at last she laughed out, and clapped her hands at every fresh mouthful
which we took, and pressed us to eat more. She allowed me to kiss her,
until her mother told her that I was not a woman, when she pouted at me,
and beat me off. Before midnight we were fast asleep upon the benches
before the kitchen fire, and at day-break were roused up by the woman,
who offered us some bread and spirits; and then we went out to the door,
where we found the horse and cart all ready, and loaded with vegetables
for the market. T