f the House. They had now all
returned, and the butler had told him that they had brought with them a
visitor, a Frenchman. John Gayther, whose mind was always full of the
Daughter of the House, immediately inquired if he was young; but the
butler's answer was unsatisfactory, as he said the gentleman was neither
young nor old, and talked queer English. As the butler himself--who was
English--talked what seemed to the gardener queer English, John did not
lay much stress upon that statement.

He was soon to make his own observations, however, for a sweet voice he
knew well called out to him: "We are all back, John, in the dear old
garden!"

John turned, and found four persons had come up quietly and were
watching his work. He returned the cordial greetings of the family, and
then the Master of the House informally introduced their companion. "We
have a foreign gentleman with us, John; he belongs to the same nation as
your great hero Lafayette, and therefore I know you will be pleased to
have him join our story-telling party. For it has been decided by the
ruling power in this house that a story is to be told this morning; so
leave your vines, and come with us."

John was obliged to follow as the party took the path to the
summer-house, but he went unwillingly. Lafayette was a great and good
man, but it did not follow that all his countrymen were of that sort;
and, in fact, John knew but little about Frenchmen. He immediately
conceived a dislike to this one as he saw him walking by the side of the
Daughter of the House and evidently pleased with her company. He greatly
disliked the idea of telling a story to this stranger, and determined it
should not be made interesting.

There was nothing in the Frenchman's appearance to excite this dislike.
There was nothing striking about him. He was a good-looking man verging
on middle age perhaps, with a rather short little figure and an airy
walk.

"Now," said the Master of the House, when the party were all disposed
to the best advantage, and the Frenchman had gone into an ecstasy over
the view from the summer-house, "John Gayther, you are to listen
carefully to this story, for I am going to tell it myself, being moved
thereto by the story my wife told here."

John, greatly relieved by this announcement, signified his cordial
approbation, and the captain began his relation:

"Captain Abner Budlong was a retired sailorman. He was rather small of
stature, with mild blue eyes