And she sez, "Oh, dear madam, I only went out to take the air a little while. You know I care for nobody in this country. My heart is in old Normandie," sez she, the tears welling up to the blue well of her eyes. "My heart is with my Pierre, but," sez she, kinder tossin' her head, not a high toss, only a little vain pretty motion of a pretty, thoughtless girl, some like a bluebird in the spring of the year, "if a young man insists on paying you a little attention what can a poor little girl do? The days are long when one is young and her own Pierre so far away, and, dear madam, Lucia was with me." "Another innocent, ignorant young creature," sez I; "two little butterflies fluttering about instead of one, not thinkin' or carin' for the fouler's net," sez I, smilin' on her pleasant, for I couldn't help it. For I knew the heart of youth, and the monotony of life, and the need of young hearts for each other. But I didn't like the young men's looks and told her so agin, and she laughed, and said she didn't like their looks either. Sez she, "Their breath always smells of the whiskey. Faugh!" sez she, "it makes me sick," and she shrugged her shoulders in the true French way. And I sez agin, lookin' solemn, "No young man whose breath smells of whiskey is safe for any young girl to associate with. It is a pizen atmosphere that blasts every sweet and pure thing that comes nigh it." And I sithed. And she said in her own sweet way that she knew I was telling the truth, for I talked just as her own sweet mother did. And she bent down with one of her pretty foreign ways and kissed my hand. Dear little thing, I didn't spoze my talk had done her much good, but then I considered it couldn't do her any hurt 'tennyrate. And so I left the event to the overruling Power, just as we poor weak mortals have to. CHAPTER XIII Well, a day or two after that Josiah and I wuz takin' a walk, meetin' occasionally Turks all dressed Turkey fashion, and Japans, and Yankees and men and wimmen and children, when who should we meet face to face but Cousin John Richard, that blessed man. As I said, we had writ and writ and tried to find him, but didn't know but we should have to hunt round considerable, but wuz bound to not leave the islands till we'd seen him. But lo and behold! here he wuz, lookin' just as good and heavenly minded as ever. He wuz santerin' along apparently lost in deep thought or nearly lost. But when he see us he grasped our hands with a welcome that made us know that no matter to what a extent a man's soul may live in the heavens, his heart is tied with deathless ties to the relations on his own side and to their pardners if they be congenial. We stopped stun still and talked quite a spell about different things, our health, the relations and so forth. Anon I sez, "Cousin John Richard, you look wan and pale, but it is a blessed work you are doin'."