"She finished with her French customers, not hurrying herself in the
least--that wasn't her way; and then strolling over to her husband, asked
him in French what she could have the pleasure of doing for him. His
education on board the 'Susan Pride' and others had, I take it, gone back
rather than forward. He couldn't understand her, so she translated it
for him into broken English, with an accent. He asked her how she knew
he was English. She told him it was because Englishmen had such pretty
moustaches, and came back with his order, which was rum punch. She kept
him waiting about a quarter of an hour before she returned with it. He
filled up the time looking into the glass behind him when he thought
nobody was observing him.

"One American drink, as they used to concoct it in that bar, was
generally enough for most of our customers, but he, before he left,
contrived to put away three; also contriving, during the same short space
of time, to inform 'Mam'sel Marie' that Paris, since he had looked into
her eyes, had become the only town worth living in, so far as he was
concerned, throughout the whole universe. He had his failings, had
Master Tom Sleight, but shyness wasn't one of them. She gave him a smile
when he left that would have brought a less impressionable young man than
he back again to that Cafe; but for the rest of the day I noticed
'Mam'sel Marie' frowned to herself a good deal, and was quite unusually
cynical in her view of things in general.

"Next afternoon he found his way to us again, and much the same sort of
thing went on, only a little more of it. A sailor-man, so I am told,
makes love with his hour of departure always before his mind, and so gets
into the habit of not wasting time. He gave her short lessons in
English, for which she appeared to be grateful, and she at his request
taught him the French for 'You are just charming! I love you!' with