Oliver could not keep his countenance, but laughed heartily for some time.

"It's just as well to get it over, Rayner," he said; "for otherwise I could not help bursting out every time I looked at you."

The maitre d'hotel, however, did not appear to think there was anything laughable in the appearance of the two Englishmen.

"Oh, messieurs! you are admirable. Let me have the honour of conducting you to the saloon." Saying this he took up the candles, and with stately step marched before them, until they reached a large room, in the centre of which was a table spread with a handsome repast.

Madame La Roche, coming in, took the head of the table, and the young ladies, sailing like swans into the room, placed themselves by the side of their guests, on the strangeness of whose costumes they made not the slightest remark. Rayner and Oliver had become somewhat faint from long fasting, but their spirits quickly revived after they had eaten some of the viands placed before them. At first they supposed that the repast was served up solely on their account, but from the way the girls and their mother kept them in countenance, they were satisfied that they had simply come in for the family supper.

Rayner talked away, now to the old lady, now to the young one at his side, while Oliver found that he could converse much more fluently than he had supposed.

After a time, however, they found it very difficult to keep their eyes open, and Rayner heard the old lady remark to her daughters, in pitying accents, that "Les pauvres garcons much required rest, and that it would be cruel to keep them up longer than was necessary."

She accordingly summoned Francois, who appeared with his huge candlesticks. Wishing them good-night, the old lady advised them to follow the maitre d'hotel to their chamber.

They bowed as well as they could, and staggered off, more asleep than awake.

"We are certainly in clover here," remarked Oliver, as they reached their room; "I question whether we shall be as well treated when we reach Spanish territory; and I propose, if Madame La Roche is willing to keep us, that we take up our quarters here until Peek is better able to travel than he is now."

"Certainly," answered Rayner, taking off his silk coat and placing his sword on the table. "We'll talk of that to-morrow."

They had not placed their heads on their pillows many seconds before they both were fast asleep.

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.

CAPTURED.

The shipwrecked midshipmen would probably have slept far into the next day had not Francois appeared with their clothes, nicely brushed and carefully mended, so that they were able to make a presentable appearance in their own characters before their hostesses.

He had also brought them a cup of cafe-au-lait, informing them that breakfast would be ready as soon as they were dressed in the salle-a-manger.

They found an abundant meal spread out, as Francois had promised. The old lady and her daughters welcomed them kindly--the latter with wreathed smiles, the elder with a host of questions to which she did not wait for a reply.

They were all three thorough Frenchwomen, talking, as Oliver observed, "thirteen to the dozen."

Madame La Roche told them that she had been attending to the English sailor, who, she hoped, would, under her care, be quite well in a day or two. "I ought to warn you not to go out. People in these parts are not well affected towards the English, and should it be discovered that I am harbouring British officers I may get into trouble," she added.

The morning pa.s.sed very pleasantly. The young ladies produced their guitars, and sang with good voices several French airs. Rayner and Oliver thought them charming girls, and had they not felt it was their duty to get back to their ship as soon as possible, would gladly have remained in their society for an indefinite period.

At last they begged leave to go down to see their men. They were guided to their rooms by sounds of music and uproarious laughter. They found Le Duc seated on a three-legged stool on the top of a table fiddling away, while old Francois, three black women, Tom and Brown, were dancing in the strangest possible fashion, whirling round and round, kicking up their heels, and joining hands, while Jack lay on a bed at the farther end of the room, looking as if he longed to get up and take a part in the dance.

On seeing the strangers, Francois became as grave as a judge, and hurrying up to them, observed, "I thought it as well, messieurs, just to join in for one minute to set the young people going. The poor sailors needed encouragement, and I like to make people happy."

"You succeeded well, Monsieur Francois," remarked Rayner. "I will not interrupt them, but I have a few words to speak to my men."

He then told Tom and Brown that it was the wish of Madame La Roche that they should remain in the house, and not show themselves by any chance to the people outside.

"In course, sir," said Brown. "We are as happy as princes here. They feed us with as much as we can eat, and give us a right good welcome too."

"Take care that you don't indulge too much," said Rayner. "We are obliged to you, Le Duc, for finding us such good quarters, and we shall be still more grateful if you will accompany us to the Spanish border.

I conclude you will then desire to return home."

"I am very much at home where I am," replied Le Duc, with a grin. "If madame will accept my services, I shall be very happy to remain here.

Perhaps one of the young ladies will fall in love with me, and I should prefer settling down to knocking about at sea."

Rayner and Oliver were horrified at the Frenchman's impudence.

"Pray do not be troubled at what I say, messieurs," said Le Duc, with perfect coolness. "Such things have happened before, and one Frenchman here is as good as another."

They saw that it would not do to discuss the matter with the seaman, who, it was evident, from the dishes and gla.s.ses standing on the table by the window, had been making himself merry with his companions.

The afternoon was spent very much as the morning had been. The young ladies possessed no other accomplishment than that of playing the guitar and dancing. They read when they could get books, but these were mostly French novels, certainly not of an improving character.

Rayner and Oliver could not help comparing them with Mary Crofton, and the comparison was greatly to her advantage.

The next day, Francois, who had been out to market returned with a troubled countenance. He hurried in to his mistress, who soon afterwards came into the room where her daughters and the young officers were seated.

"I am sorry to say that the authorities have heard of your being in the neighbourhood, and have sent the gendarmes to search for you!" she exclaimed, in an anxious tone. "I did not wish to drive you away, and am willing to try and conceal you. At present, no one knows you are in the house. You may remain in a loft between the ceiling of this room and the roof, where you are not likely to be found; but the place is low, and will, I fear, be hot in the daytime, and far from pleasant.

Francois might manage to conduct you to a hut in the woods at no great distance from this, to which we could send you food; but there is the risk of the person who goes being seen, and your retreat being discovered."

"We are very sorry to cause you so much trouble, madame," said Rayner.

"It will, I think, be safest to leave this place to-night, and to try and make our way, as we intended, into Spanish territory."

"Ah! but the distance is long--fully twenty leagues," answered Madame La Roche. "You would be recognised as strangers, and probably detained by the mayor of a large village you must pa.s.s through."

"But we must take care and not pa.s.s through any village," said Rayner.

"We will try to make our way along bypaths. What we should be most thankful for is a trustworthy guide. Perhaps our good friend Francois here will find one for us."

"That I will try to do," said the old mulatto. "It is not, however, very easy, as few of them know much of the country to the east."

"But how was it discovered that these English officers and their men were in the country?" asked Mademoiselle Sophie, the eldest of the young ladies, turning to Francois.

"It appears that yesterday morning there was found on the beach the dead body of a seaman, who was supposed from his appearance and dress to be English, while the marks of numerous feet were perceived on the sand, some going to the west, others coming in this direction. Those going to the west were traced until a party of French and black sailors were discovered asleep in a wood. They stated that the vessel was French, captured by an English man-of-war; that she had been driven by the hurricane on the reef, and that it was their belief the English officers and crew had escaped as well as themselves, but they could not tell what had become of them. The mayor, on hearing this, had despatched a party of gendarmes in search of the missing people. How soon they may be here it is impossible to say."

"But they will not be so barbarous as to carry off to prison English officers who come with a flag of truce, and had no hostile intentions!"

exclaimed Virginie.

"The authorities would be only too glad to get some Englishmen to exhibit as prisoners," said Francois. "We must not trust them; and I propose that we hide away the officers and men."

Just as Francois had finished giving this account, Le Duc ran into the room.

"Oh, madame, oh messieurs!" he exclaimed, "I have seen those gendarmes coming along the road towards the house; they will be here presently."

"Here, come this way, my friends!" cried Madame La Roche. "Francois, run and get the ladder. There may be time for you all to mount up before the gendarmes appear. Call the other sailors. The sick man is strong enough to move, or some one must help him. Vite, vite!"

The old lady hurried about in a state of great agitation. Rayner and Oliver had serious fears that she would betray herself.