LE LONG DU SENTIER 



increase, if not geometrical, is better 

 than arithmetical. 



Pierre falls a long way behind 



Priam in the matter of family, but, in 

 a degenerate age, I am fain to refer to 

 him as leading case. All being said, 

 thirty-one is a very pretty total ; more- 

 over, as my figures were gathered some 

 years ago, I may easily fail to credit him 

 with an odd child or two, but the ques- 

 tion does not turn on trifles. Some little 

 inaccuracy too may be forgiven in the 

 case of a mere acquaintance, where an 

 affectionate father is not sure, on the 

 instant, as to numbers, sexes and names. 

 It was not Pierre, but another whose 

 household was only a little more than 

 two-thirds of Pierre's, who was tender- 

 ing one of his junior offspring for hiie. 

 He had a very good general idea of the 

 boy's age, appearance and qualifica- 

 tions, but the name escaped him. Quite 

 properly he regarded this as a detail 

 that should not embarrass the negotia- 



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