"Twenty-five shillings." "Put it on the chimney-piece, my clear; I'll take it presently. We will not be hard on Harry. Let him have his companion. We shall get him round by degrees. Ah, here comes some one to tempt you away." In effect Madelaine was passing the window on her way to the front entrance; but Vine forgot all about his glass stopper for the moment, and threw open the glass door. "Come in here, my clear," he said. "We were just talking about you." "About me, Mr Vine? Whatever were you saying?" "Slander of course, of course." "My father desired to be kindly remembered, and I was to say, `Very satisfactory so far?'" "Very satisfactory so far?" said Vine dreamily. "He said you would know what it meant." "To be sure--to be sure. Louie, my dear, I'm afraid your aunt is right. My brain is getting to be like that of a jelly-fish." He nodded laughingly and left the room. "Did you meet Harry as you came?" said Louise, as soon as they were alone. "Yes; but he kept on one side of the street, and I was on the other." "Didn't he cross over to speak?" "No; he couldn't see the Dutch fraulein--the Dutch doll." "Oh, that's cruel, Maddy. I did not think my aunt's words could sting you." "Well, sometimes I don't think they do, but at others they seem to rankle. But look, isn't that Mr Pradelle coming?" For answer Louise caught her friend's hand to hurry her out of the room before Pradelle entered. Volume 1, Chapter XI. AUNT MARGUERITE STUDIES A COMEDY. That morning after breakfast Aunt Marguerite sat by her open window in her old-fashioned French _peignoir_. She saw Pradelle go out, and she smiled and beamed as he turned to look up at her window, and raised his hat before proceeding down into the back lanes of the port to inveigle an urchin into the task of obtaining for him a pot of ragworms for bait. Soon after she saw her nephew go out, but he did not raise his head. On the contrary, he bent it down, and heaved up his shoulders like a wet sailor, as he went on to his office. "_Mon pauvre enfant_!" she murmured, as she half closed her eyes, and kissed the tips of her fingers. "But wait a while, Henri, _mon enfant_, and all shall be well." There was a lapse of time devoted to thought, and then Aunt Marguerite's eyes glistened with malice, as she saw Madelaine approach. "Pah!" she ejaculated softly. "This might be Amsterdam or the Boompjes. Wretched Dutch wench! How can George tolerate her presence here!" Then Pradelle came back, but he did not look up this time, merely went to the door and entered, his eyes looking searchingly about as if in search of Louise. Lastly, a couple of particularly unseamanlike men, dressed in shiny tarpaulin hats and pea-jackets, with earrings and very smooth pomatumy hair, came into sight. Each man carried a pack and a big stick, and as they drew near their eyes wandered over window and door in a particularly searching way.