His eyes fell upon a paragraph which had previously escaped his notice.

There they rested.
Either he read it over and over unwearyingly, or he was lost in thought.
Jean Thompson entered.
"Now," said Mr.Thompson, in a suppressed tone bending a little across the table, and laying one palm upon a package of papers which lay in the other, "it is completed.

You could retire, from your business any day inside of six hours without loss to anybody." (Both here and elsewhere, let it be understood that where good English is given the words were spoken in good French.) Monsieur Vignevielle raised his eyes and extended the newspaper to the attorney, who received it and read the paragraph.

Its substance was that a certain vessel of the navy had returned from a cruise in the Gulf of Mexico and Straits of Florida, where she had done valuable service against the pirates--having, for instance, destroyed in one fortnight in January last twelve pirate vessels afloat, two on the stocks, and three establishments ashore.
"United States brig _Porpoise_" repeated Jean Thompson.

"Do you know her ?" "We are acquainted," said Monsieur Vignevielle..