TWO YOUNG NATURALISTS. 223 



conferred on him the dignity, certainly well merited, 

 of a position in the permanent army of duty's 

 volunteers. 



"Tush!" he said, but nevertheless with an evi- 

 dent air of satisfaction ; "no usurpation of rank, if 

 you please. I have at least never been more than a 

 simple soldier in the ranks of duty, and it ought to 

 be I that should present arms to you, Mr. Sergeant. 

 As, however, I do not carry any, I can only offer you 

 my apologies for not having come before this. We 

 started the day before yesterday, but we beat a 

 cowardly retreat, being conquered by the rain." 



" I am to blame," cried Franceschini. " Triple 

 blockhead that I am ! I might have foreseen that 

 change of weather. When I wrote my letter to you 

 everything indicated that we should have a storm : 

 everything, even my scar, which became violet, like a 

 bishop's cassock. I ought to have observed this, but 

 somehow or other when one has as villainous a phiz 

 as mine, one does not waste much time at the looking- 

 glass." 



They entered the house, and found there was 

 already set out for them a snack prepared on the 

 spur of the moment by Madame Franceschini, the 

 wife of the keeper he having, as we ought previously 

 to have explained, taken a wife very soon after 

 coming to the district, in order that he might take 

 better root. 



