ake haste."

Upon Daniel's request, the ship lay by long enough to allow Papa Ravinet
and his sailor to get back again into their boat without danger. When
they were safely stowed away in it, and at the moment when they cast off
the man-rope, Papa Ravinet called to Daniel,--

"We shall soon see you! Rely upon me! Tonight Miss Henrietta shall have
a telegram from us."

XXVIII.

At the same hour when Papa Ravinet, on the deck of "The Saint Louis,"
was pressing Daniel's hand, and bidding him farewell, there were
in Paris two poor women, who prayed and watched with breathless
anxiety,--the sister of the old dealer, Mrs. Bertolle, the widow; and
Henrietta, the daughter of Count Ville-Handry. When Papa Ravinet had
appeared the evening before, with his carpet-bag in his hand, his hurry
had been so extraordinary, and his excitement so great, that one might
have doubted his sanity. He had peremptorily asked his sister for two
thousand francs; had made Henrietta write in all haste a letter of
introduction to Daniel; and had rushed out again like a tempest, as he
had come in, without saying more than this,--

"M. Champcey will arrive, or perhaps has already arrived, in Marseilles,
on board a merchant vessel, 'The Saint Louis.' I have been told so at
the navy department. It is all important that I should see him before
anybody else. I take the express train of quarter past seven. To-morrow,
I'll send you a telegram."

The two ladies asked for something more, a hope, a word; but no, nothing
more! The old dealer had jumped into the carriage that had brought him,
before they had recovered from their surprise; and they remained there,
sitting before the fire, silent, their heads in their hands, each lost
in conjectures. When the clock struck seven, the good widow was aroused
from her grave thoughts, which seemed so different from her usual
cheerful temper.

"Come, come, Miss Henrietta," she said with somewhat forced gayety, "my
brother's departure does not condemn us, as far as I know, to starve
ourselves to death."

She had gotten up as she said this. She set the table, and then sat down
opposite to Henrietta, to their modest dinner. Modest it was, indeed,
and still too abundant. They were both too much overcome to be able to
eat; and yet both handled knife and fork, trying to deceive one another.
Their thoughts were far away, in spite of all their efforts to keep them
at home, and followed the traveller.

"Now he ha