"There was so much crowd, monsieur, and such a noise ... we were quite
too much afraid to venture in."

"Would you be afraid, mam'selle, to venture with me?"

"I--I do not know, monsieur."

"Ah, mam'selle, you might be very sure that I would take good care of
you!"

"_Mais ... monsieur_"...

"These gentlemen, I see, have been angling," said the old lady,
addressing me very graciously. "Have you caught many fish?"

"None at all, madame!" I replied, loudly.

"_Tiens_! so many as that?"

"_Pardon_, madame," I shouted at the top of my voice. "We have caught
nothing--nothing at all."

_Ma tante_ smiled blandly.

"Ah, yes," she said; "and you will have them cooked presently for
dinner, _n'est-ce pas_? There is no fish so fresh, and so well-flavored,
as the fish of our own catching."

"Will madame and mam'selle do us the honor to taste our fish and share
our modest dinner?" said Müller, leaning forward in his seat in the