"Ah, Monsieur Louis, it was you who carried out my beloved piano--Liszt played on it, and so did Paderewski and Livadi, and a whole lot of others, until it gave out and I sent it down here, more for its associations than anything else. And you too, Monsieur Herbert"--and she gave him a low curtsy, as befitted his rank--"you-were-a-_real-major-general_, and saved the life of that poor young fisherman; and you, Lemois, rescued my darling miniatures and my books. Yes--I have heard all about it. Oh!--it was so kind of you all--and you were so good--nothing I really loved is missing. I have been all the morning feasting my eyes on them. And now let us all go in and stir up the fire--and, please, one of you bring me a thimbleful of brandy. I have rummaged over my precious things until I have worked myself into a perspiration, and then I must drive like Jehu until I get chilled to the bone. Catch cold!--my dear Monsieur Brierley--I never catch cold! I should be quite ashamed of myself if I did." We were inside the Marmouset now, Marc unbuttoning her outer garments, revealing her plump, penguin-shaped body clothed in a blouse of mouse-colored corduroy with a short skirt to match, her customary red silk scarf about her throat; the silver watch with its leather strap, which hung from the pocket of her blouse, her only ornament. "Take my cap, please," and she handed it to the ever-obsequious Marc, who always seemed to have lost his wits and identity in her presence. This done, she ran her fingers through her fluff of gray hair, caught it in a twist with her hand, skewered it with a tortoise-shell pin, and, with a "So! that's all over," drew up a chair to the blaze and settled herself in it, talking all the time, the men crowding about her to catch her every word. "And now how about that young fisherman? Thank you, Monsieur Herbert. No, that is quite enough; a thimbleful of cognac is just what I need--more than that I have given up these many years. Come!--the young fisherman, Lemois. Is he badly hurt? Has he a doctor? How long before he gets well? Can I go to see him as soon as I get warm? Such a brave lad--and all to save my miserable jim-cracks." Both of Lemois' hands were outstretched in a low bow. "We could do no less than rescue your curios, madame. Our only fear is that we may have left behind something more precious than anything we saved."