“Ah! indeed; De Tourville,” he repeated. “So, after all, you are French; pardon me for my doubts; I will not detain you, but repeat my wish to form an agreeable acquaintance during your stay; will do myself the pleasure of calling at Coulancourt;” and, with a polite bow saying adieu, and depositing the fishing-basket, the stranger sauntered slowly down the stream. “Now this is anything but pleasant,” thought our hero, raising the basket, containing six fine trout, each over nine pounds weight. “I wish, Monsieur Gramont, you had happened to be a dozen leagues from this. Very odd he did not hear of or speak of the attempt to rob Monsieur Plessis; he must have heard the firing, or seen the peasantry hurrying to the scene of action; it’s very odd.” Giving the surprised Bill the basket of trout, which he examined with a curious eye, wondering very much what such a fine looking fish could possibly want with a little fly, and a fly that in his mind resembled no fly that ever flew, Lieutenant Thornton retraced his steps to the château. It was near sunset as he entered the lawn, and walked up towards the house. Monsieur de Plessis came out from the front door to meet him. “I hope the young ladies have quite recovered their fright?” said Lieutenant Thornton, for the first time taking a steady survey of Jean Plessis’ features and person, whom he would not have remembered. He appeared stouter, and wore moustaches, which he did not when first they had met in Toulon. In answer to Lieutenant Thornton’s inquiry, he said they had quite recovered their spirits; that Madame Plessis had reached the château; and that they were all expecting him. “I was delayed,” said our hero, “looking for my rod, which I afterwards found in the hands of a gentleman who, it seems, is the proprietor of the land on both banks of the river in which I was fishing; he called himself Gramont.” “Mon Dieu! that is unfortunate,” said Jean Plessis, with a start, and a look of uneasiness. “Did he seem annoyed at your being on his land? I had no idea he was in this part of the country. I thought he was with his regiment on the frontiers!” “Then, you know him, Monsieur Plessis?” asked the Lieutenant.