De Lapp looked back at him equally hard, but there was no recognition in his eyes.
"I do not know who you are, sir," he said at last; "but you look at me as if you had seen me before." "So I have," answered the Major.
"Never to my knowledge." "But I'll swear it!" "Where then ?" "At the village of Astorga, in the year '8." De Lapp started, and stared again at our neighbour.
"_Mon Dieu_, what a chance!" he cried.

"And you were the English parlementaire?
I remember you very well indeed, sir.

Let me have a whisper in your ear." He took him aside and talked very earnestly with him in French for a quarter of an hour, gesticulating with his hands, and explaining something, while the Major nodded his old grizzled head from time to time.

At last they seemed to come to some agreement, and I heard the Major say "_Parole a'honneur_" several times, and afterwards "_Fortune de la guerre_," which I could very well understand, for they gave you a fine upbringing at Birtwhistle's.

But after that I always noticed that the Major never used the same free fashion of speech that we did towards our lodger, but bowed when he addressed him, and treated him with a wonderful deal of respect.