see the king, provided King George--'

'Haven't the French a king?' I demanded.

'Yes,' said the old man, 'or something much the same, and a queer one he
is; not quite so big as King George, they say, but quite as terrible a
fellow. What of him?'

'Suppose he should come to Norman Cross!'

'What should he do at Norman Cross, child?'

'Why, you were talking about the vipers in your bag breaking their
hearts, and so on, and their king coming to help them. Now, suppose the
French king should hear of his people being in trouble at Norman Cross,
and--'

'He can't come, child,' said the old man, rubbing his hands, 'the water
lies between. The French don't like the water; neither vipers nor
Frenchmen take kindly to the water, child.'

{picture:'There we two were, I looking up at the viper, and the viper
looking down upon me, flickering at me with its tongue.': page36.jpg}

When the old man left the country, which he did a few days after the
conversation which I have just related, he left me the reptile which he
had tamed and rendered quite harmless by removing the fangs. I was in
the habit of feeding it with milk, and frequently carried it abroad with
me in my walks.