“I say,” said Teddy, in a drowsy tone, “do you think there's any chance of getting a bath before we begin?”
“The despised sandwich would come in handy, too,” added Dick. “I say, monsieur, why didn't you bring a flask?”
“I did,” I replied, “and here it is.”
“He is another Napoleon,” said Dick. “Nothing is forgotten.”
Meantime the day began to break, and, though the sun had not yet risen, it was quite light when we felt our carriage stop.
“Alight!” said the voice of the Marquis. “We have arrived!”
We were in a side track that ran through the fields of a sheltered valley; on one side a grove of trees concealed us; on the other, through the end of the valley and only at a little distance off, I saw something that roused me with a thrill of excitement. It was the open, gray sea, with a small steamboat lying close inshore.
“Peste!” cried the Marquis, taking me aside. “Hankey is not here!”
“Not with us?”
“No; he must have been left at the station. It is a nuisance!”