Miss Lydia put on her most majestic air and answered:

"I have not asked him," she said. "You may do so."

The prefect kept silence, but, an instant later, hearing Orso speak a
few words of English to the colonel, he said:

"You seem to have travelled a great deal, monsieur. You must have
forgotten Corsica and Corsican habits."

"It is quite true that I was very young when I went away."

"You still belong to the army?"

"I am on half-pay, monsieur."

"You have been too long in the French army not to have become a thorough
Frenchman, I have no doubt?"

The last words of the sentence were spoken with marked emphasis.

The Corsicans are not particularly flattered at being reminded that they
belong to the "Great Nations." They claim to be a people apart, and so
well do they justify their claim that it may very well be granted them.

Somewhat nettled, Orso replied: "Do you think, M. le Prefet, that
a Corsican must necessarily serve in the French army to become an
honourable man?"

"No, indeed," said the prefect, "that is not my idea at all; I am only