n by his mother, who, it was patent, was much
disturbed; but her unwavering belief in his superior judgment kept
her silent. "He is my son, and knows his duty better than we," was
her only reply to Angelique's questionings at any time, and it did
not fail her now. It was touching to mark her effort to carry things
off, to cover his preoccupation, and, distraught though he was, he
remitted nothing of his attentions towards her, and so each comforted
and shielded the other. I felt like an intruder, and when Angelique
proposed a visit to the porpoise-fishery for the afternoon, I
eagerly accepted the chance of escape.

We wandered off towards the beach, and by it made our way round to
the great bay where the porpoise-fishing once took place.

"Look at the bones of the old days, and you can imagine what it
meant to us," said Angelique, pointing to the line of great ribs,
and skulls, and skeletons which made a grotesque barrier to the
highest tides, almost completely round the wide semicircle of the
bay. "We fought for this many a long year, both with men and at
law, and now, alas, we have neither men nor law to work it for us.
The porpoise can swim in and out of the broken park unharmed. There,
just as that fellow is doing now I Look at him!" As she spoke, a
huge white mass rose slowly above the water within the bounds of
the fishery, and then came forward with a rush in pursuit of the
smelts and capelans, shooting up showers of spray, which broke into
rainbows in the brilliant sunlight.

"It is like everything else, going to rack and ruin; with the people
starving in the sight of plenty, because this wretched war must
drag on," sighed Angelique. "The men feel nothing of it; they have
all the fighting and glory, while we sit at home helpless, good
for nothing."

"Don't say that, ma belle!" called out her brother, cheerily; and
we turned to find him behind us. "Do you think we could have the
heart to keep it up, if it were not for the thought of you? But
there, you are tired and out of sorts, little one. Go back to the
mother, and I will take madame round by the end of the bay and back
by the sucrerie."

It was impossible for me to object, and Angelique left us, while
we took our way along the sands. M. de Sarennes seemed to have
thrown aside his former cares, and rattled on in his natural way,
noting and explaining everything which might interest me, and had
I not known him better, I might have been misled by his open