The Launching of Roger Brook

decided to take a turn along the quays and look at the shipping, while it was still light. As soon as the chambermaid brought back his coat he put it on and, going downstairs, went out on to the wharf.

After an hour's walk he returned to Les Trois Fleur-de-Lys and went into its parlour. The 'company of the most distinguished' promised by the pastry-cook turned out to consist of two men engaged in a game of backgammon, who looked like ill-paid sea captains, an old man in a blue cloth suit, with a shock of white hair, a fine forehead and watery blue eyes, and a lanky fellow of about thirty dressed in a red velvet coat that looked somewhat the worse for wear. The old man was staring vacantly in front of him while he toyed with a tot of spirits and Roger decided that he was either dotty or three-parts drunk; the man in the red velvet was reading a badly-printed news-sheet through a quizzing glass, but he lowered it as Roger came in, gave him a sharp glance, and, bowing slightly, said: 'Good evening to you, Monsieur.'

As Roger returned the bow and the greeting, the man went on in an amiable tone: 'Pray, pardon my apparent curiosity, but are you a casual visitor here? Or have you, perchance, taken a room in this pestiferous hostelry?'

Roger admitted to the latter and asked: 'And you, Monsieur?'

'For my sins I have been lying here some ten days,' came the prompt reply. 'And I am near dying of boredom; so 'tis a most welcome diversion to see a new face.'

'If you dislike it here, why do you remain?' Roger inquired with a smile.

'I am forced to it,' the lanky individual answered, his long face breaking into a wry grin. 'I owe the plaguey landlord a trifling sum— a mere bagatelle of eighty crowns or so—and he has had the impudence to seize my baggage as surety for its payment. So I must needs remain here till the funds that I am expecting daily, reach me.'

Roger had to ask for parts of this to be repeated more slowly, explaining that he was an Englishman who had only that day arrived in France.

'You astound me,' exclaimed his new acquaintance. 'The little French you have spoken is so excellent that I had no idea you were a foreigner.'

'You flatter me, Monsieur,' said Roger, a flush of pleasure mount­ing to his face. 'But 'tis the fact.'

The man in red stood up and bowed: 'Permit me to introduce myself. I am the Chevalier Etienne de Roubec. Your servant, Monsieur. I am charmed to welcome you to my country. My only regret is that this temporary lack of funds deprives me of the happiness of doing its honours towards you in a fitting fashion.'

Standing up Roger bowed and introduced himself in turn, then as they sat down again he said: 'You were telling me, Monsieur le Chevalier, why it is that you remain on at Les Trois Fleur de- Lys?'

'Ah, yes,' the Chevalier smiled and using simple phrases he went into a somewhat longer explanation, including an account of how he had had his pocket picked of a purse containing a hundred and twenty Louis, this being the original cause of his present embarrassment.

As Roger listened, striving to get the meaning of the less usual words through their context, he had ample opportunity to study the Chevalier's face. His brown eyes were quick and intelligent; a small scar on his left cheek ran up to the corner of one of them pulling it down a little and giving him a faintly humorous expression. His mouth was full and sensual, his chin slightly receding and his teeth bad, but he had a cheerful, vivacious manner and, as Roger had been feeling distinctly lonely during his hour's walk, he was glad to have someone with whom he could talk as a friend.

De Roubec, was, it transpired, the younger son of the Marquis of that name, and he obviously expected Roger, even though an English­man, to have heard of this rich and powerful Seigneur. The family had great estates in Languedoc but his father was, of course, at Versailles, where he held a high appointment near the person of the King. On being robbed of his money the Chevalier had at once written to his parent and expected any day now to receive a considerable remittance from him. In the meantime his principal worries were, that he was ashamed to appear in the clothes he was wearing, since he had had on his oldest things and been out on a fishing expedition when the pestiferous landlord had confiscated all his better garments; and that lack of cash made it impossible for him to buy Roger a drink.

Roger obligingly stepped into the breach, and, on the Chevalier declaring that Malaga was his favourite tipple, ordered a couple of glasses. He then gave a somewhat fictitious account of himself; saying that he had come to Le Havre, only to transact some business for his father, who was an English Admiral, and that having arrived by the packet boat from Southampton that morning he hoped to com­plete his business next day and return to England the following night.

After they had been talking for about half an hour supper was announced by a wizened little fellow who did duty, both as waiter and barman. The old man in the blue suit, who, in the meantime, had been drinking steadily, remained where he was; but the two seafarers, De Roubec and Roger, crossed the narrow hallway of the inn to the coffee room, and the two latter agreed to share a table.

Having by this time digested his surfeit of cream cakes Roger was agreeably surprised by the meal that was now served to them. In England, where few people except the poorest considered that a meal was not a meal at all unless it included an ample portion of red meat, the repast would normally have given rise to aggrieved complaint. But the soup had an excellent flavour, the dish of vegetables cooked in fresh butter proved a revelation as to how good vegetables could be when not swamped in water, and the cream cheeses were delicious. For the modest sum of a franc Roger found that he was able to buy a bottle of Bordeaux, and by the time it was empty the two new acquaintances were in splendid spirits, laughing together as though they had known each other for years.

De Roubec set down his glass with a little sigh. ''Tis now,' he said, 'that I find my lack of funds provoking almost beyond endurance. 'Twould have been such a pleasure this evening to take you forth and show you something of the town. Le Havre is a poor place compared to Paris or Lyons but, even so, it has a few passably diverting establish­ments and 'tis a sad pity that as you are leaving for England again so soon you should not see them while you are here.'

' 'Tis monstrous good of you to suggest it,' Roger replied 'Un­fortunately I'm plaguey short of cash myself for the moment. I'll have ample when I've completed my business to-morrow, but I brought over only some twenty louis for my immediate expenses and I laid out considerably more than half of that on my passage and in purchases this afternoon.'

The Chevalier shrugged his lean shoulders. 'For twenty or thirty crowns we could have quite a good evening's sport. That is if you care to act as banker? But it must be on the firm understanding that I am host and will repay you any sum we expend when my money arrives. If you are already gone I will send it to you to England by a safe hand.'

Roger barely hesitated. His native caution warned him that it would be tempting providence to run himself right out of cash before he had sold Georgina's jewels; but he reflected that he still had over six pounds so would have an ample safety margin if he blew three of them, and the idea of celebrating his first night as a free, grown man by going on the spree in this strange, foreign city, was tremendously exciting.

'If twenty crowns will serve, I'm your man, and mighty obliged to you into the bargain,' he declared with a laugh.

So they left the table and collecting their hats and swords, went out on to the dark quay.

Turning westwards along it De Roubec led Roger past the Arsenal into the narrow Rue de Paris and there knocked loudly on the door of a tall, shuttered house. The door was opened by a pock- marked manservant in a grey and silver slivery. He evidently knew the Chevalier and ushering them into the hall asked them to wait a moment while he fetched his master.

A dapper little man clad in white breeches and a sky-blue silk coat then appeared.

'Ah, my dear Chevalier!' he exclaimed with an elegant bow and a quick glance at Roger. 'What a pleasure to see you again. You are, I take it, once more in funds and come to challenge Dame Fortune at my tables?'

'Your servant, Monsieur Tricot. We intend only a mild flutter,' De Roubec replied nonchalantly. 'But permit me to present milord Brook, the son of the distinguished English Admiral. It is my privilege to show him the few amenities of Le Havre, and your establishment being one of them I have brought him to see it; but we'll risk a louis or two for the good of the house.'

Roger thought it pointless to repudiate the sudden elevation he had been given and he much admired the skilful way in which De Roubec had disguised the fact that their purses were so ill-lined.

The gaming-house keeper begged him to consider the house as his own whenever he was in Le Havre and led