ther; but of course you know all
about it."

"No, I have heard but little," said Schmidt. "I know only that his
father was murdered. Des Aguilliers told me that; but as De Courval has
not, does not, speak of it, I presume him to have his reasons. Pray let
us leave it here."

"As you please, _mon ami_." But Du Vallon thought the German strangely
lacking in curiosity.

The time passed pleasantly. De Courval did better with Tiernay, who
taught French to the young women and was in the shabby splendor of
clothes which, like their owner, had seen better days.

They went away late. Yes, he was to have lessons from Du Vallon, who had
courteously criticized his defense as weak. But the remedy had answered
the German's purpose. Here was something to learn which as yet the young
man did badly. The lessons went on, and Schmidt at times carried him
away into the country with fowling-pieces, and they came home loaded
with wood pigeons; and once, to De Courval's joy, from the Welsh hills
with a bear on the back of their chaise and rattles for Pearl from what
De Courval called the _serpent a sonnettes_--"a nice Jacobin snake,
_Mademoiselle_." And so the quiet life went on in the Quaker house with
books, walks, and the round of simple duties, while the young man
regained his former vigor.

The spring came in with flowers and blossoms in the garden, and, on the
21st of May, Citizen Genet was to arrive in this year of '93. The French
frigate _Ambuscade_, lying in the river and hearing from Chester in due
season, was to warn the republicans with her guns of the coming of the
minister.

"Come," said Schmidt, as the casements shook with the signal of three
cannon. "Pearl said she would like to see it, and the farce will be
good. We are going to be amused; and why not?"

"Will Friend de Courval go with us?" asked Margaret. Walks with the
young woman were somehow of late not so easily had. Her mother had
constantly for her some interfering duties. He was glad to go.

At the signal-guns, thousands of patriots gathered in front of the State
House, and in what then was called the Mall, to the south of it. Schmidt
and the young people paused on the skirts of the noisy crowd, where were
many full of liquor and singing the "Marseillaise" with drunken
variations of the tune. "A sight to please the devil of laughter," said
Schmidt. "There are saints for the virtues, why not devils for men's
follies? The mischief mill for the grinding out of