I took him at his word. I could have shouted for joy. Mercédès was
mine, and I was Mercédès'.




CHAPTER IV

Pots, Kettles, and Other Things

"Seared is, of course, my heart--but unsubdued
Is, and shall be, my appetite for food."
--C.S. CALVERLEY.

* * * * *

"A little buttery, and therein
A little bin,
Which keeps my little loaf of bread
Unchipt, unflead;
Some little sticks of thorn or brier
Make me a fire."
--ROBERT HERRICK.


If any man had told me before I started, that in two days I should
find it a genuine sacrifice to stop driving a motor car, I should have
looked upon him as a polite lunatic. It was only because Jack could
drive faster than he dared to let me, and because I was ashamed to