"Hullo! you here, my boy?" says he.

As for me, I leap over the balcony, and fall into his arms; he lifts me

up from the ground, as if I were a child, and we embrace each other. You

may guess my emotion, my surprise, my transports of joy! The servants

watched us from a distance, frightened and not yet daring to approach

near.

"Ah, well!" repeated my uncle; "what on earth's the matter with them?

Have I grown any horns?"

"I will explain everything," I said; "come in, while they take up your

luggage."

"All right!" he replied; "and get some breakfast for me, quick! I'm as

hungry as a wolf."

All this was said with the dignity of a man who never allows himself to

be surprised at anything, and in that meridional accent, the ring of

which is sufficient to betray the origin of the man. My uncle speaks

seven languages; at Paris, as you know, he pronounces with the pure

accent of a Parisian, but directly he sets foot in Provence, that's all

over; he resumes his brogue, or as they call it down here, the assent.

He came in, stepping briskly, and holding his head erect; I followed

him. Once in my study, and seeing the table laid, he sat down as

naturally as if he had just returned from a walk in the park, poured out

two large glasses of wine, which he swallowed one after the other with a

gulp of deep satisfaction; and then made a cut at a pie, which he

attacked in a serious manner, rendering it quite impossible to mistake

him for a spectre. I let him alone, still contemplating him with

amazement. When I considered him ready to answer my questions, I said-"Well, uncle, where have you come from?"

"Té! I come from Japan, you know very well," he answered, just as if he

were referring to the chief town of the department; "only I have dawdled

a bit on the way, which prevented me from writing to you."

"And during the last five months what has happened to you?"

"Pooh! I made an excursion into Abyssinia, in order to see the Negus,

who owed me two hundred thousand francs. He has not paid me, the scamp!

But how odd you do look! And that great arleri, François! how he

stares at me with his full round eyes, as if I were going to swallow him

up. Is there anything so very fierce about me? Hullo, you have altered

my livery!" he went on; "they all look like ecclesiastics; have you

taken orders, then?"




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