"Has your endurance so soon ceased, my dear girl?" said my father. "Think of the believers of old. They had trials of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned; they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword; they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented (of whom the world was not worthy); they wandered in deserts and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And yet none of these, though they obtained a good report in God's own word for their faith, had received the explicit promises through Christ, God having provided those better things for us; wherefore we surely should be ashamed to show less constancy than they did." "Oh, of course," said Gabrielle. "Think of what Jacques is bearing without a murmur," said Madeleine. "I'm sure he sets an example to us all." "And as to minding what we eat," said little Charles, "I'm sure I don't mind it a bit. Do I, mamma?" "Oh, if you are all going to be against me, I shall say no more," said Gabrielle. "That's right," said my mother. "Put a brave heart on it, my dear; I know you have it in you." Gabrielle bit her lip, but took out a comb, and began to arrange little Louison's hair. "Now," she whispered, "I'll make you as smart as the young lady we saw with Madame de Laccassagne;" and in this way she amused herself and the child, talking nonsense with her, and inventing imaginary scenes and people, all in a hushed voice, that my father might not hear. Suddenly, some one at the entrance of our dungeon wishing us "Bon jour," made us start violently and look towards him in alarm. "You need not shrink from me," said La Croissette, advancing among us when he had looked around. "I may not be as good as yourselves, or I may be--that's neither here nor there. I'm not quite a bad fellow, I believe, though at times I am driven to keep indifferent company. Still, I am not very fond of those I'm among at present, so I thought I'd look in on you. Your servant, sir," to my father. "A votre service, madame," very politely to my mother. "You were not here last night, when your son and that young lady rather unexpectedly looked in on us. To speak the truth, there are reasons why some of us don't relish being looked in on unexpectedly." "Quite natural," said my father; "no more do we." "Ah, but you need not be afraid of me," said La Croissette, "I'm no traitor, I! It might be rash, though, to say as much of some of my companions, and therefore I advise you not to be too familiar with them." "My good friend, we have not the least intention of being so." "Age is wary, and youth is full of trust," said La Croissette. "Not knowing that you, respected sir, and you, madame, were here to look after the younger persons, I ventured to do so myself, to bid them beware of their neighbors." "That was very friendly, and I thank you heartily for it," said my father.