At that moment Agathe appeared at the little gate.
“Honorine!” she called; “Honorine! are you there?”
“Here I am,” said the young woman, rising; “I was not far away.”
“I have been looking for you everywhere; I was worried about you. Ah! here’s Ami; good-day, brave dog!”
Ami had left his place to run to meet Agathe, who then spied the owner of the Tower.
She bowed affably to him, saying:
“Had I known that monsieur was with you, I shouldn’t have been alarmed, as he is always our protector.”
“I have done nothing yet to earn that title,” said Paul, returning Agathe’s bow. “But I should esteem myself very fortunate, mademoiselle, if I could ever be of any real service to you.”
As he finished speaking, he bowed to the two friends and left them, motioning to his dog to follow him, which he did not make up his mind to do until he had trotted back several times to the young women, to fawn upon them and wag his tail.