"Exceedingly fine women, are they not?" The Virginian made no reply. He was pinning to the lapel of his coat a tiny bunch of violets, and his face was turned from his fellow-voyager. "Both are ladies of decided individuality. They are amazingly beautiful, too, and possess unusual force of character, especially the captain's lady." "Damn the captain." "So say I. You stole a march on him in the Hesperian Garden, and we both escaped the jaws of the absent Dragon." Soon after their guests left the house Madam Blennerhassett and Evaleen Hale, standing by an open window in a chamber upstairs, looked out toward the wharf. They heard the voices of the watermen and the noise made in shoving out from the gravel beach. Then came silence, and they knew the ark was adrift, bearing away two passengers whom they could not easily forget, but expected never to meet again. "How delightful he is!" mused the madam, speaking more to herself than to her friend. "Do you think so?" returned Evaleen abstractedly. "Perfectly captivating! A brilliant mind! I am charmed with him, are not you?" "He is pleasant enough, but too bold, too audacious, isn't he?" "Not, I think, Evaleen, for a person of his age. We expect more freedom in elderly men." "Elderly! Why, he can't be more than twenty-five! "Twenty-five! My dear child, he has a married daughter!" "Oh, you are speaking of Colonel Burr! I _hate_ him." VI. DOCTOR DEVILLE AND HIS LUCRECE. "Behold this Ohio city of the Gauls. Volney's ruins of modern date--new oldness--fresh decay--dilapidation to begin with! I am proud of this consummation of American enterprise!" This irony was uttered by Burr to Arlington as the two men stood taking a first look at Gallipolis, a poor village, consisting of a dozen miserable log houses patched with clay and occupied by a score of wretched French families. The travellers had walked up a steep bank to the natural terrace on which the forlorn dwellings stood. "Shall we go back to our boat? Have you seen enough of Palmyra? Here are the palaces, but where are the citizens? _Ecce Homo!_ One inhabitant turns out to receive us." The person to whom Arlington's attention was thus called was a small, nervous gentleman, about sixty years old, who came forth from a whitewashed cot, and, taking off a scarlet cap, saluted the strangers, whom he had eagerly watched from the moment of their landing. "Pardon, messieurs. Permit that I speak. May it be convenient should one passenger more be accommodated in your polite boat? I much wish to go to Cincinnati, for one of my business very special. I have courage to ask ze bold favor by my necessity professional to come to _mon frere_." "Ours is a private boat. Do you say it is to meet a brother that you wish to go to Cincinnati?"