ese clamoured for an explanation, which he finally
gave her.

At last he had to stop for want of breath, and Barbara had time to look
at his sons--boys of twelve and sixteen--who seemed a great care to
him. All the three, father and sons, wore cloaks with hoods to them,
which they called _capucines_, and as there was very little difference
in their heights, they made rather a quaint trio. Barbara was glad to
see him again, however, for it seemed to bring her aunt nearer.

It amused her considerably to notice how Mademoiselle Therese flew from
one party to another, during the whole of the walk, evidently feeling
that she was the chaperon of each individual. She started out beside
the widower, but soon interrupted his conversation by dashing off to
give a word of warning to the boys, and what was supposed to be a word
of encouragement to Barbara, who was walking with Marie, the niece, and
the widower's eldest son.

It did not make much difference to them, for Jean and Marie seemed to
have plenty to say; and after addressing a few careless remarks to
Barbara, to which, perhaps, she did not pay much attention, the latter
heard her say to her companion, "Bah! there is nothing to be made of
her; let us continue;" and she was glad they left her alone that first
evening, for she was not in the mood for talking.

[1] Public school.

CHAPTER VI.

THE REVOLT OF TWO.

The days that followed were not as pleasant to Barbara as those she had
spent in Paris, for though St. Malo, just across the river, fascinated
her, she did not care much for St. Servant, and the people did not
prove congenial to her--especially Mademoiselle Therese. Though she
seemed to be a clever teacher, Barbara could never be sure that she was
speaking the truth, and in writing home she described her as "rather a
humbug."

"Most English people," she told Barbara shortly after her arrival,
"pronounce French badly because their mouths are shaped differently
from ours, but _yours_, Miss Britton, is just right, therefore your
accent is already wonderfully good."

The girl laughed; the family had never been in the habit of flattering
one another, and she did not appreciate it as much as Mademoiselle
Therese had meant she should. Indeed, Barbara wished that the lady
would be less suave to her and more uniform in temper towards the rest
of the household, who sometimes, she shrewdly surmised, suffered
considerably from the younger sister's irasc