"
"There is no place fit for a young girl to stay in," Farnsworth
ventured. "She can have no comfort or--"
"Take her along, sir; any place is good enough for her so long as
she behaves like a--"
"Very well," Farnsworth bluntly interrupted, thus saving Alice the
stroke of a vile comparison. "Come with me, please, Miss
Roussillon."
He pulled her toward the door, then dropped the arm he had grasped
and murmured an apology.
She followed him out, holding her head high. No one looking on
would have suspected that a sinking sensation in her heart made it
difficult for her to walk, or that her eyes, shining like stars,
were so inwardly clouded with distress that she saw her way but
dimly.
It was a relief to Hamilton when Helm a few minutes later entered
the room with something breezy to say.
"What's up now, if I may ask?" the jolly American demanded.
"What's this I hear about trouble with the French women? Have they
begun a revolution?"
"That elephant, Gaspard Roussillon, came back into town last
night," said Hamilton sulkily.
"Well, he went out again, didn't he?"
"Yes, but--"
"Stepped on somebody's toe first, eh?"
"The guard tried to capture him, and that girl of his wounded
Lieutenant Barlow in the neck with a sword. Roussillon fought like
a tiger and the men swear that the devil himself appeared on the
scene to help the Frenchman out.
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