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"It is nothing," she said "Take courage, my poor marmosets;" and with a

smile she added, "There's my six feet four with the tears in his eyes

Did ever a woman have such friends?"

The sun came out in the sky as she spoke They had topped the pass and

were now driving doards Italy There was snow about them still on

the mountain-sides and deep in drifts upon the roads The air was

musical with the sound of innu in the sunlight; the valleys beloere green with

the young green of spring, and the winds were tee cahed, where

before they had wept; from under the seat they pulled out chickens which

Misset had cooked with his own hands at Nazareth, bottles of the wine of

St Laurent, and bread; and Wogan allowed a halt long enough to get

water fro by the roadside

"There is no salt," said Gaydon

"Indeed there is," replied Misset, indignant at the aspersion on his

catering "I have it in my tobacco-box" He took his tobacco-box froe Clementina made sandwiches

and passed them out to the horsemen The chickens turned out to be old

cocks, impervious to the soundest tooth No one ht thee became matter for a

jest They picnicked with the merriment of children, and finally

O'Toole, to show his contempt for the Emperor, fired off both his loaded

pistols in the air

At that Wogan's anxiety returned He blazed up into anger He thrust his

head frohness?" he cried "Is this your

consideration?"