“He who is mistaken in an action which he sincerely believes to be right may be an enemy, but retains our esteem.”

“But what then? What had he really gained by all this trouble? What had he brought back from this long and weary journey?Nothing, you say? Perhaps so; nothing but a charming woman, who, strange as it may appear, made him the happiest of men!Truly, would you not for less than that make the tour around the world?”

“The chance which now seems lost may present itself at the last moment.”

“Was he being devoured by one of those secret rages, all the more terrible because contained, and which only burst forth, with irresistible force, at the last moment?”

“All great actions return to God, from whom they are derived.”

“Wherever he saw a hole he always wantedto know the depth of it. To him this was important.”

“Ah!" I cried, springing up. "But no! no! My uncle shall never know it. He would insist upon doing it too. He would want to know all about it. Ropes could not hold him, such a determined geologist as he is! He would start, he would, in spite of everything and everybody, and he would take me with him, and we should never get back. No, never! never!"My over-excitement was beyond all description.”