"I am glad, I am delighted, that she spoke to me," I said. I
desired to save the fair girl, whose heart was ever as a child's,
any sorrow for what she had done. "I was about to speak myself.
It is so great a pleasure to see you all I could not longer endure
silence."

"They made us prisoners; they bring us here. Oh, m'sieur, it is
terrible!" said the baroness.

"And he is such a horrible-looking monkey!" said Louison.

"Do they treat you well?" I asked.

"We have a big room and enough to eat. It is not a bad prison, but
it is one terrible place," said the baroness. "There is a big
wall; we cannot go beyond it."

"And that hairy thing! He is in love with Louise. He swears he
will never let us go," said Louison, in a whisper, as she came
close to me, "unless--unless she will marry him."

"Ah! a tea-party," said his Lordship, coming toward us. "Pardon
the interruption. I have promised to return these men at nine. It
is now ten minutes of the hour. Ladies, I wish you all a very good
night."

He bowed politely. They pressed my hand, leaving me with such
anxiety in their faces that I felt it more than my own peril,
Louison gave me a tender look out of her fine eyes, and the thought