nexpected emotion. A plaintive whining and a bushy tail brushing
against his legs had made him start. He uttered a loud cry on seeing
Blaireau. The poor animal had scented his master from afar, and had
rushed forward with all the speed of his first youth to roll at his
feet. For a moment we thought he was going to die there, for he remained
motionless and convulsed, as it were, under Marcasse's caressing hand;
then suddenly he sprang up, as if struck with an idea worthy of a man,
and set off with the speed of lightning in the direction of Patience's
hut.

"Yes, go and tell my friend, good dog!" exclaimed Marcasse; "a better
friend than you would be more than man."

He turned towards me, and I saw two big tears trickling down the cheeks
of the impassive hidalgo.

We hastened our steps till we reached the hut. It had undergone striking
improvements; a pretty rustic garden, inclosed by a quickset hedge with
a bank of stones behind, extended round the little house. The approach
to this was no longer a rough little path, but a handsome walk, on
either side of which splendid vegetables stretched out in regular rows,
like an army in marching order. The van was composed of a battalion of
cabbages; carrots and lettuces formed the main body; and along the hedge
some modest sorrel brought up the rear. Beautiful apple-trees, already
well grown, spread their verdant shade above these plants; while
pear-trees, alternately standards and espaliers, with borders of thyme
and sage kissing the feet of sunflowers and gilliflowers, convicted
Patience of a strange return to ideas of social order, and even to a
taste for luxuries.

The change was so remarkable that I thought I should no longer find
Patience in the cottage. A strange feeling of uneasiness began to come
over me; my fear almost turned into certainty when I saw two young men
from the village occupied in trimming the espaliers. Our passage had
lasted more than four months, and it must have been quite six months
since we had had any news of the hermit. Marcasse, however, seemed to
feel no fear; Blaireau had told him plainly that Patience was alive,
and the footmarks of the little dog, freshly printed in the sand of the
walk, showed the direction in which he had gone. Notwithstanding, I was
so afraid of seeing a cloud come over the joy of this day, that I did
not dare to question the gardeners about Patience. Silently I followed
the hidalgo, whose eyes grew full of tears as they