YOUNG LADIES: Principal, Miss Pringle." Out
of this establishment had now defiled the little
procession, as just noticed by Captain Filby.
They were not more than ten or a dozen strong,
and the rosy cheeks and good complexions of
the English " meeses " justly excited the
admiration of Trench amateurs. But the tall
Miss Pringle, carrying her head back as terribly,
and a parasol sharp and long as a bayonet,
kept a wary look out along the ranks, and
seemed as dangerous a " customer" as a
gendarme. Had not many of us seen in our
Galignani an occasional little advertisement,
"To English Families residing in France. Miss
PRINGLE invites the attention of parents,
guardians, and others, to the advantages of
her establishment, situated in the most
salubrious portion of Dieppe, and directly facing
the sea; a limited number of young ladies.
She is permitted to refer to the Rev. Frederick
Burchell, chaplain to the English church, Dieppe;
to M. Le Pasteur Pigou, Dieppe; to George
Dick, Esquire, H.M. Consul, Dieppe; and to
Mrs. Dick." Her pupils, however, were chiefly
daughters of wealthy persons in trade at
Brighton or Dover, anxious for the prestige
of a daughter educated abroad.

There was also among them the daughter of
one of the Dieppe English, a girl who had just
passed in the little procession, quite unworthy
of the captain's praise, as to not having " cheeks"
bursting with health. Her attractions were
more refined. She was small in shape and
figure, with brown hair, wavy, though rather
thin and close to her head, whose pretty
shape, however, it showed. The face was
long, oval, and narrow; but full of a warm
colour. Her eyes were quick and bright, yet
became soft at times, and she walked with
decision. A more intelligent critic than the
captain would have said: " There's a girl of some
character, that can think for herself, that has
curious ideas, that can turn a pleasant saying;
a girl that will not be content to jog through
the streets of life in a hack-cab, but will look
for her landau and footmen and powder;
domestic, but ambitious; affectionate, yet worldly."
This would be a fair estimate of Miss Pringle's
pupil; and we, too, picking her out from the
bouncing girls before and behind her, may
whisper that her name is Lucy Dacres, whom
her father used to call " the dear girl."

Who could best in the colony fill in the
details of that sketch? No one certainly so well
as the Mr. West, who had been so contemptuously
described by the captain. That gentleman
knew the young girl thoroughly; had
"travelled over her mind." Any one could point
out to us where " M. Vaist," the middle-sized
gentleman, with the small, soft, brown beard
and moustache, faintly sprinkled with grey,
and the quick eyes, lodged with his sister in
the Place. For, being a barrister, who, it was
said, " has been obliged to abandon good practice
at the English bar for certain reasons, you see,"
lie had gained quite a reputation by taking up
cases of one or two unhappy English who had
been unjustly dragged before the magistrate by
some harpies of the town — widows and maiden
ladies — and by his calm and able management
had quite confounded the " judge of
peace," who, from that time, hated but feared
him. To Miss Pringle, of Victoria House
Academy, he had given admirable legal advice
about recovering her rights from the parents
of one of her pupils. (The captain had
sneered tremendously. "Nice games, nice
games, sir — regular Joe Surface. If I had
a daughter, I wouldn't let him into the
place. Legal advice, indeed!") None of
the refugees, however, dared to be free
with him, however they might speculate in
private. There was a manner about him
and about his cold sister (" she only wants
the grey beard, and you'd mistake one for
the other," again says Captain Filby) — a
marble sort of reserve, with a latent power of
attack and injury that was dangerous. Indeed,
Mr. Gilbert West made no secret of his bitter
contempt and loathing " for the whole crew,"
their meannesses, their dirty whispering, and
degrading pettiness. At least, they seemed to
read this in his face and bearing; and he
certainly kept himself aloof and superior to them all.
That sort of air jars exceedingly. " What the
deuce brings him here? Why the deuce does he
stay here, if he thinks himself too good for the
place?" (That " strengthener" " the deuce" was
the popular form of asseveration at Dieppe, and
used a hundred times in the day.) " Cock him
up, indeed! He daren't go home, the fellow!"
Less prejudiced people, however, gave out that
his real reason was the health of his sister, who
suffered from her nerves, and who somehow
found that she had less pain in that place than
anywhere else. They had some of the best
apartments in the town; in the cheerful Place
where a company or so of a regiment came and
drummed and glittered in the morning, like the
shops opposite where they sold articles of
Paris, and over which was Mr. West's
apartments. The Grande Rue passed right through
the Place, and led a little further onto the port.
But now, as the monkeys of the place, the
raff of chattering commissioners, touters from
Wheeler's, " Le Buff's," and other hotels, the
porters with barrows, and the custom-house
men hands deep in pockets, are lounging 'down
to the pier, the smoke of the packet having
been discerned, a tall gentleman in a white
tie comes posting down, as by express, to meet
her. A most important person, with whom we
have all a good deal to do — Mr. Blacker,
secretary to the English church.

Everybody there, French and English, knew
Mr. Blacker, the oldest resident, the tall,
full-bodied gentleman, a little stooped about
the shoulders, and with a round white face,
garnished with the true mutton-chop
whiskers, and an air as of something to do with
a deanery. He carried always a crooked-top
cane, which, as he walked, he put through
that old-fashioned exercise, now and again
flourishing it violently, as though it were a private