That afternoon Mr. Biron found it difficult to concentrate on the work before him, for, reasoning from cause to effect, and having produced the cause, he was subconsciously expectant of another visit from André and Angélique. Nothing, however, occurred to disturb him and, as he closed up his desk and safe, preparatory to leaving, he smiled grimly to himself. "I never was stumped by a proposition yet," he muttered half aloud, as he walked home in the sunset, "and André François isn't going to be the first. He _must_ have some red blood in his veins--his grandfather fought at Gettysburg, and I could fight my weight in wildcats at his age." As he ate his dinner, half an hour later, his sister recounted to him the events of the day. [Illustration: "'IT WAS OF A SUDDENNESS,' SAID ANGÉLIQUE BLUSHING"] "Andrew Francis was attacked again," she said, casually nodding toward André François, who ate in silence--for she was a woman of sense. "He came home again covered with mud from head to foot. Angélique says he refused to run and she could do nothing----" "But no," interrupted the _bonne_ eagerly, and her words came like a string of firecrackers exploded by a small boy on the Fourth of July, "he came with a quickness--like _zat_!" and she clapped her hands. "Before I know, he have come behin' and trip Monsieur André François up from his legs. Zen I try to grab thees boy, but he is of a so great slipperiness as an eel! He have hit Monsieur André François--_whack_! He have poke heem an' make heem to fall into the mud. Zen he is away with a quickness--_zipp_! No person is of a similar quickness to catch heem." During this display of wordy pyrotechnics, the son and heir of the house sat in sullen silence and broke his bread into small pieces. When it ended, he suddenly looked up. "Father," he said, "I do not want Angélique to take me to school any longer. She is a fool." "Sank you, sair," said the lady referred to sarcastically, "you have a great gratitude when I protec' your life." Then she turned to the manager of the White Star: "Sair, I have the pleasure to inform you of somesing. In one month I am about to marry myself to the Mr. Burbank--he who makes known what is in the rocks." "Kind of sudden, wasn't it, Angélique?" asked Mr. Biron. "It was of a suddenness," said Angélique blushing. "I was greatly of a desire to go back to France, but I could not, an' the nex' bes' zing--zat is to marry myself. I mus' have a protector in thees so savage land where even the children are bloodthirsty. I am not of a nervousness to stan' everysing. _Voilà!_" [Illustration: "THAT FIGHT WILL LONG BE REMEMBERED IN THE ANNALS OF THE GANG"] The next morning Andrè François went to school minus his familiar. During the week and a half that followed he was "attacked" with startling frequency and regularity. Almost every afternoon he came home with his clothes muddy and torn. He was grimly silent about the details of these mishaps. Angélique was in despair.