Doome got supper ready.

Bertha had saved a prisoner, Daniel had assisted, and little Doome
rather liked Daniel, yet nobody ate much; and when Daniel (at the
suggestion of Doome) was furnished with a mattress and blanket on
the floor, he did not make use of it, but sat smoking,--smoking for
hours after the two women had gone off to Bertha's room.

But when the tobacco-pouch was empty, and the pipe was cold, the
sailor fell asleep in his chair; and though he had done a good act
the preceding day, he did not sleep well, but sighed heavily as he
slumbered on.

And now it was that Jodoque, the Discomfited, again came upon the
stage. Having been laughed at by every soul in the village, that
poor bachelor went to his lonely house, took a small mug of
consolatory weak beer, felt convinced that all women were deceivers,
vowed that from that time forth he would think no more of matrimony,
and went to bed in the dark,--prompted thereto by the power of
economy in candles. He had fallen asleep, and slept soundly, when
thrift prompted him to remember that one piece of cloth, several
balls of wool, and one white rabbit,--his property,--were at that
moment at the deceiver Bertha's. Why should he, the deceived, make
the married pair happy, with one piece of cloth, several balls of
wool, and a white rabbit? And Jodoque woke up to the terrible truth
in a cold sweat. The articles in question were at the deceiver
Bertha's. At the first break of day he would go and demand his
property. Being unable to sleep through the remainder of the dark
hours, he presented but a disreputable appearance when he clapped to
the little door of his house.

It was barely light, and it was not an overpowering distance for
Jodoque to walk from his house to Bertha's. He knew the household
would not be up, but he determined to sit down before it,--besiege
it, in fact,--and carry off the cloth, the wool, and the white rabbit,
when the enemy should first be moving.

And this is what he saw, as he came up to the cottage:--A young
officer in the French uniform was getting in at Bertha's
kitchen-window. Jodoque seized the idea, as though it were the white
rabbit,--this was the French officer who had escaped yesterday,
endeavoring to hide himself in Bertha's house.

Jodoque did not instantly rush forward to re-arrest this prisoner;
but it struck him there must be a reward for the recapture; so,
determining upon taking the prisoner and the basket at one fell sw