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You all know the sudden dip from the rich, flat country of Normandy down the steep cliffs to the sea. Cancale is like the rest of it. The town itself stands on the brink of a swoop to the sands; the fishing-village proper, where the sea packs it solid in a great half-moon, with a light burning on one end that on clear nights can be seen as far as Mme. Poulard’s cozy dining-room at St. Michel.

One glimpse of this sea-burst tumbled me out of the carriage, sketch-trap in hand. Baeader and the governor kept on. If the latter noticed the discrepancy between Baeader’s description of the country and the actual topography, no word fell from him at the moment of departure.

From my aerie, as I worked under my white umbrella below the cliff, I could distinctly make out our traveling-carriage several hundred feet below and a mile away, crawling along a road of white tape with a green selvage of trees, the governor’s glazed trunk flashing behind, Baeader’s silk hat burning in front. Then the little insect stopped at a white spot backed by dots of green; a small speck broke away, and was swallowed up for a few minutes in the white dot,–doubtless Baeader to parley for rooms,–and then to my astonishment the whole insect turned and began crawling back again, growing larger every minute. All this occurred before I had half finished my outline or opened my color-box. Instantly the truth dawned upon me,–the governor was going back to Parame. An hour, perhaps, had elapsed when Baeader, with uncovered head and beaded with perspiration, the two locks of hair hanging limp and straight, stood before me.

“What was the matter with the governor, Baeader? No hotel after all?”

“On the contraire, pardonnez-moi, monsieur, a most excellent hotel, simple and quite of ze people, and with many patrons. Even at ze moment of arrival a most distinguished artist, a painter of ze Salon, was with his cognac upon a table at ze entrance.”

“No bath, perhaps,” I remarked casually, still absorbed in my work, and with my mind at rest, now that Baeader remained with me.

“On the contraire, monsieur, les bains are most excellent–primitive, of course, simple, and quite of ze people. But, monsieur le gouverneur is no more young. When one is no more young,”–with a deprecating shrug,–“parbleu, it is imposseeble to enjoy everything. Monsieur le gouverneur, I do assure you, make ze conclusion most regretfully to return to Parame.”

I learned the next morning that he evinced every desire to drown Baeader in the surf for bringing him to such an inn, and was restrained only by the knowledge that I should miss his protection during my one night in Cancale.

“Moreover, it is ze grande fete to-night–ze fete of ze Republique. Zare are fireworks and illumination and music by ze municipality. It is simple, but quite of ze people. It is for zis reason that I made ze effort special with monsieur le gouverneur to remain with you. Ah! it is you, monsieur, who are so robust, so enthusiastic, so appreciative.”

Here Baeader put on his hat, and I closed my sketch-trap.

“But monsieur has not yet dined,” he said as we walked, “nor even at his hotel arrived. Ze inn of Mme. Flamand is so very far away, and ze ascent up ze cliffs difficile. If monsieur will be so good, zare is a cafe near by where it is quite posseeble to dine.”

Relieved of the governor’s constant watchfulness Baeader became himself. He bustled about the restaurant, called for “Cancale speciale,” a variety of oysters apparently entirely unknown to the landlord, and interviewed the chef himself. In a few moments a table was spread in a corner of the porch overlooking a garden gay with hollyhocks, and a dinner was ordered of broiled chicken, French rolls, some radishes, half a dozen apricots, and a fragment of cheese. When it was over,–Baeader had been served in an adjoining apartment,–there remained not the amount mentioned in a former out-of-door feast, but sufficient to pack at least one basket,–in this case a paper box,–the drumsticks being stowed below, dunnaged by two rolls, and battened down with fragments of cheese and three apricots.