Pauline was listening with dilated eyes, and her little hands crossed
primly in front of her.

"But this isn't the story of the gentleman who was eaten by the wild
beasts," she interrupted. "This is quite a different story; isn't it
now, cousin?"

"Wait a bit, and you'll see," replied Florent gently. "I shall come
to the gentleman presently. I'm telling you the whole story from the
beginning."

"Oh, thank you," murmured the child, with a delighted expression.
However, she remained thoughtful, evidently struggling with some great
difficulty to which she could find no explanation. At last she spoke.

"But what had the poor man done," she asked, "that he was sent away and
put in the ship?"

Lisa and Augustine smiled. They were quite charmed with the child's
intelligence; and Lisa, without giving the little one a direct reply,
took advantage of the opportunity to teach her a lesson by telling her
that naughty children were also sent away in boats like that.

"Oh, then," remarked Pauline judiciously, "perhaps it served my cousin's
poor man quite right if he cried all night long."

Lisa resumed her sewing, bending over her work. Quenu had not listened.
He had been cutting some little rounds of onion over a pot placed on the
fire; and almost at once the onions began to crackle, raising a clear