"Natural?--Do you know what song we sang in the cages of the ship that
carried us into this evil exile here? Do you know what brought tears to
the eyes of the guards?--What made the captain and the sailors turn their
heads away from us, lest we should see that their faces were wet? What
rendered the soldiers who had fought us in the Commune more human for the
moment? It was this:
"'Adieu, patrie!
L'onde est en furie,
Adieu patrie,
Azur!
Adieu, maison, treille au fruit mer,
Adieu les fruits d'or du vieux mur!
Adieu, patrie,
Ciel, foret, prairie;
Adieu patrie,
Azur.'"
"Hush, monsieur!" the girl said with a swift gesture. He looked and saw
that Angers was waking. "If I live," he hurriedly whispered, "I shall be
at the King's Cave to-morrow night. And you--the horses?"
"You shall have my help and the horses." Then, more loudly: "Au revoir,
monsieur."
At that moment Madame Solde entered the room. She acknowledged
Laflamme's presence gravely.
"It is all done, madame," he said, pointing to the portrait.