"I say, how am I going to get back into your room? I got down the rain-pipe, but I couldn't climb up it."
"Don't worry yourself, we'll find a way."
On reaching the house they saw that De Fronsac's windows were shut. Jack quickly swarmed up the pipe and entered his room. In about a minute down came the end of a knotted sheet. Arthur caught it, and in a few minutes was standing beside Jack.
The family were seated at the breakfast-table next morning when De Fronsac came in.
"Pardon, Madame," he said, "I am late. Last night I see a fine moon; it drew me out towards de so beautiful sea over dere"—he pointed in a direction exactly contrary to that taken by the figure followed by the boys—"and I compose a little poem on de Minotaur—who is, of course, dat Monstair Bonaparte."
"That's strange, Monsieur," said Jack, at whom Arthur had been staring very hard while the Frenchman spoke. "I could not sleep last night, and went out for a stroll, and I could have sworn I saw you coming just the opposite way."
"Ah! I see you also. I see you drough my curtains—ven you climb up de pipe. To mariners dat is, of course, as easy as the staircase; but as for me, I shudder."
"Gave you the flutters, eh, Monsieur?"
"Myself I vould say de tr-r-rembling. De poem I compose, Madame, it begin—
"'Is dere a creature vizout shame?
Napoleon—so is he name.
Is dere a creature vizout heart?
Ah! yes!—de Monstair Bonaparte.'"