"I did."
"Then it could not be Dover or Deal. Oh! they must have been Frenchmen," continued Willie.
"Not Frenchmen," said Edward, seeing the others puzzled, "but the natives of a country very close by."
Louisa then described a scene where "a platform, covered with black, is surrounded by armed men, and a crowd of the populace. A man of noble appearance has his throat bared, his head laid on the block, and the executioner stands ready to strike the fatal stroke; when his hand is arrested by some one near, who points to a royal messenger riding at full speed through the mob."
A long pause ensued after Louisa had finished; even the two mamas looked puzzled.
"You may ask three questions and no more," said Louisa, triumphantly.
"Was the victim a king?" enquired Mary.
"Hush, Mary," cried Emily, as she saw the ardent little girl about to open her mouth again.
"Had he a friend who was also reprieved at the same late hour?" asked Mrs. Macdonald.
"You have guessed it, aunt, I see," replied Louisa.