She would show, too, some stores of raillery, of "malice," and would vex, tease, pique me sometimes about what she called my "bizarreries anglaises," my "caprices insulaires," with a wild and witty wickedness that made a perfect white demon of her while it lasted.

This was rare, however, and the elfish freak was always short: sometimes when driven a little hard in the war of words--for her tongue did ample justice to the pith, the point, the delicacy of her native French, in which language she always attacked me--I used to turn upon her with my old decision, and arrest bodily the sprite that teased me.

Vain idea! no sooner had I grasped hand or arm than the elf was gone; the provocative smile quenched in the expressive brown eyes, and a ray of gentle homage shone under the lids in its place.

I had seized a mere vexing fairy, and found a submissive and supplicating little mortal woman in my arms.

Then I made her get a book, and read English to me for an hour by way of penance.