backward-glaring head poked out a yard more or less and that distinguished face so completely surrendered to mystification as to cause a large laugh on my part. 

 “You are hungry?” 

 It was the erstwhile-ferocious speaking. A criminal, I remembered, is somebody against whom everything he says and does is very cleverly made use of. After weighing the matter in my mind for some moments I decided at all cost to tell the truth, and replied: 

 “I could eat an elephant.” 

 Hereupon t-d led me to the Kitchen Itself, set me to eat upon a stool, and admonished the cook in a fierce voice: 

 “Give this great criminal something to eat in the name of the French Republic!” 

 And for the first time in three months I tasted Food. 

 T-d seated himself beside me, opened a huge jack-knife, and fell to, after first removing his tin derby and loosening his belt. 

 One of the pleasantest memories connected with that irrevocable meal is of a large, gentle, strong woman who entered in a hurry, and seeing me cried out: 

 “What is it?” 

 “It’s an American, my mother,” t-d answered through fried potatoes. 

 “Why is he here?” the woman touched me on the shoulder, and satisfied herself that I was real. 

 “The good God is doubtless acquainted with the explanation,” said t-d pleasantly. “Not myself being the—” 

 “Ah, mon pauvre” said this very beautiful sort of woman. “You are going to be a prisoner here. Everyone of the prisoners has a marraine, do you understand? I am their marraine. I love them and look after them. Well, listen: I will be your marraine, too.” 

 I bowed and looked around for something to pledge her in. T-d was watching. My eyes fell on a huge glass of red pinard. “Yes, drink,” said my captor, with a smile. I raised my huge glass. 

 “A la santé de ma marraine charmante!” 

 —This deed of gallantry quite won the cook (a smallish, agile Frenchman) who shovelled several helps of potatoes on my already empty plate. The tin derby approved also: “That’s right, eat, drink, you’ll need it later perhaps.” And his knife guillotined another delicious hunk of white 

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