"Evidently you zink ze English language ees vastly superior to ours, monsieur," said madame, who had spent a summer in England, and picked up enough English to understand the drift of what he had been saying. "Well, to be candid I do. Just think of its range. Our new dictionary contains a million and a half of words, whereas your language has only----" "Oh, come on, Charley, don't pull her leg," said Ridgeway. "Sir!" said madame, sitting bolt upright, and surveying him through her hand magnifiers, "you insult me." "A thousand pardons, madame. What I said was only a colloquial expression for pulling the long bow." "Pulling ze vot?" she enquired somewhat suspiciously. "Pulling the long bow--another colloquial expression much employed by Englishmen. It merely implied a caution to my young friend not to exaggerate so much. I assure you, my dear madame, the remark I uttered had no reference whatever to your legs." "My vot, sir? I think you are egstremely rude." "Pray forgive me, madame, I crave your indulgence. May I substitute for the word 'legs,' 'inferior extremities,' or lower limbs?" Madame got very wrath and turned herself half round, and looked out of the opposite window. Beaupaire had just woken up, and catching the last sentence burst out into a hearty laugh, which had the effect of making his better half still more angry. "How can you be so cruel as to laugh at me, Jean," she said to her husband, "when you see me insulted like this? Have you no feelings left?" "Pray calm yourself, my dear. Our friend has not the slightest intention of insulting you. I know the expression well, it is perfectly 'en regle.'" Madame tossed her head as much as to say "I don't believe you a bit." "Besides," she added, "it is not your place to instruct me in English, and I"--with rising voice--"I vill not sit here quietly vile those impudent Englishmen are insulting me and my daughter." Beaupaire looked at Ridgeway, and gave a wink and a little chuckle half to himself. "Don't mind her," he whispered to Ridgeway, as he offered him a cigarette, "the old lady is first rate when you get to know her, but she is a great stickler for etiquette--Spanish, you know--very proud--sixteen quarterings--father a Don--seventh cousin of the King of Spain--and all that sort of thing." Ridgeway nodded.