Volume Ii Part 2 (1/2)

When Agathe was beginning to lose hope she saw the n.o.ble beast returning toward her, while his eyes seemed to say:

”Help is coming!”

And his master was soon by his side.

”Oh! monsieur--I beg you--my dear friend has fainted!” cried Agathe.

Paul had already taken a phial from his pocket, and he held it to Honorine's nose, saying to the girl:

”It's nothing; don't be alarmed; your friend will come to herself in a moment. What was the cause of this accident?”

”Fright; a cow came running straight toward my friend, who is terribly afraid of them; and but for your good dog, who ran up and drove the cow away, she would certainly have been wounded.”

”See, she is coming to herself.”

Honorine opened her eyes at that moment. The first person she saw was Agathe, who was leaning over her and gazing anxiously into her face. The young woman smiled as she muttered:

”I am an awful coward, am I not? But it isn't my fault; I was so frightened that----”

Honorine interrupted herself, for she had caught sight of Ami's master, who was standing a few steps away, regarding her attentively; he still held in his hand the little phial he had used to restore her to consciousness.

It was an easy matter for the two ladies to examine at their ease the individual of whom they had heard so much; and the result of their examination was not unfavorable to him; for although, when seen at a distance, his bushy beard gave him a somewhat forbidding aspect, on looking at him nearer at hand and at leisure, one saw that his features were handsome and distinguished, that his eyes were not always fierce, that his expression was neither threatening nor calculated to inspire alarm.

Agathe, divining her friend's amazement, made haste to say:

”This gentleman came to my a.s.sistance, for you didn't come to yourself--I did not know what to do--oh! I was very unhappy!”

”But that cow that was running at me--how did I escape being hurt?”

”Because this good old dog here ran up to defend you, threw himself in front of her and barked and jumped at her nose! Oh! it was magnificent!

And then, after putting the cow to flight, he ran to fetch his master to help me bring you to yourself.--Oh! how fine that was, Ami! Come, come here and let me embrace you!”

The girl put her arms about the dog's neck and patted and caressed him; he submitted with a very good grace, wagging his tail, and looking at his master from time to time, as if to inform him that he already knew the two ladies.

Honorine rose and bowed gracefully to the owner of the Tower, saying:

”Pray accept all my thanks, monsieur, and excuse me for having disturbed you in your walk.”

”You owe me no thanks, madame; it is a duty to make oneself of use when one has the opportunity. You do not need this phial any more?”

”No, monsieur, I feel much better; but--this is very strange--I don't know whether it is the result of my fright, but I seem to have no legs, they give way under me; I feel as if I were going to fall.”

”Well! that would be nice!” cried Agathe, doing her utmost to support her companion. ”What are we to do if you can't walk? There are no cabs or omnibuses here, and we are quite a long way from home.”

Ami's master, who, after offering his flask, had started to walk away, stopped when he discovered the embarra.s.sment of the two friends. He realized that they still needed him, but it was evident that he hesitated, that it was hard for him not to be guided by his ordinary instinct of aloofness. But Agathe, without speaking, looked at him with an almost imploring expression, and her eyes expressed her thought so fully that Paul walked back toward them, murmuring:

”If I can be of any further use to you--take my arm, madame; lean on it without fear, and I will help you to walk.”

”Oh! you are too kind, monsieur! I am afraid of abusing----”