every man in the place with me, and things came to such a pass that all
of us must be sent down, or Valiant resign. He resigned. He found
another professorship; but the thing followed him, and he was obliged to
leave the country."

When I finished the story, Mrs. Falchion was silent for a time, then,
with a slight air of surprise, and in a quite critical way, she said:
"I should think you would act very well, if you used less emotion. Mrs.
Valiant had a kind of courage, but she was foolish to die. She should
have stayed and fought him--fought him every way, until she was his
master. She could have done it; she was clever, I should think.
Still, if she had to die, it was better to go with a good horse that way.
I think I should prefer to go swiftly, suddenly, but without the horror
of blood and bruises, and that sort of thing. . . . I should like to
meet Professor Valiant. He was hard, but he was able too. . . . But
haven't we had enough of horror? I asked you to amuse me, and you have
merely interested me instead. Oh!--"

This exclamation, I thought, was caused by the voice of the quartermaster
humming:

"I'm a-sailing, I'm a-sailing on the sea,
To a harbour where the wind is still"--

Almost immediately she said: "I think I will go below." Then, after a
slight pause: "This is a liberal acquaintance for one day, Dr. Marmion;
and, you know, we were not introduced."

"No, Mrs. Falchion, we were not introduced; but I am in some regards
your host, and I fear we should all be very silent if we waited for