Penny Blood Serial Cover — page 186: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

— 178 ALFRED DE ROSANN. tions startled me a little-——but supposing that the news were authentic, that the little girl had heard of them by some means or other, and that an old soldier should not be ignorant of such important political events, I replied boldly in the affirmative, adding that I had myself been employed against the Chinese. The girl smiled, and renewed her questions, which were more extraordinary than the others; namely, ‘whether I had seen the king of China, whether he did not stand ten feet high, and whether his cattle were notdressed in steel jackets and wadded pelisses ?? I began to fancy that the child had a mind to banter me, and accord- ingly thought to humour her whims by continually answering yes to everything she said. In the middle of the conversation a sturdy peasant came up, and was saluted by the name of ‘ Father’ on the part of the little girl. He asked my business; I told him the same tale I had already narrated to his daughter and the old woman; and-the mischievous Jeannette—for so her father called her—acded all the wonders about the Chinese, Madagascar, ef cetera, et cetera. When she had concluded, I looked towards the peasant to ascertain the impression such marvels had made upon him ; but he turned sharply round, muttered a remark about the increase of liars in the world, and told me to go to the devil, as coolly as Iam now talking to you.” De Rosann and Belle-Rose had hitherto maintained a certain gravity during the latter partof Champignon’s recital: but when he mentioned the indignation of the cottager, whom they both recognised as the Dra- conic Claude, it was impossible to suppress their laughter any longer. Champignon thought it was occasioned by the singularity of his adventures, and joined in the mirth of his companions till tears ran down his cheeks. “¢ You may suppose that I was not very well pleased with the answer of the brutal peasant to my courteous. language,”’ continued Champignon, when order was re-established in the stable—for the reader must not forget where this narrative was told: “ but I was. obliged to retire from the cottage, although not ta.