Confound the young dog! why is he not here to help me ?" "But, after all," suggested Josephine, "you have only to carry out his instructions." "That is true! that is true! but when a fellow is a coward, a poltroon, and all that sort of thing." This repeated assertion of cowardice on the part of the living Damascus blade that stood bolt-upright before her, struck Josephine as so funny that she laughed merrily, and bade him fancy it was only a fort he was attacking instead of the terrible Josephine; whom none but heroes feared, she assured him.
This encouragement, uttered in jest, was taken in earnest.

The soldier thanked her, and rallied visibly at the comparison.

"All right," said he, "as you say, it is only a fort--so--mademoiselle!" "Monsieur!" "Hum! will you lend me your hand for a moment ?" "My hand! what for?
there," and she put it out an inch a minute.

He took it, and inspected it closely.
"A charming hand; the hand of a virtuous woman ?" "Yes," said Josephine as cool as a cucumber, too sublimely and absurdly innocent even to blush.
"Is it your own ?" "Sir!" She blushed at that, I can tell you.
"Because if it was, I would ask you to give it me.

(I've fired the first shot anyway.)" Josephine whipped her hand off his palm, where it lay like cream spilt on a trencher.
"Ah! I see; you are not free: you have a lover." "No, no!" cried Josephine in distress; "I love nobody but my mother and sister: I never shall." "Your mother," cried Raynal; "that reminds me; he told me to ask her; by Jove, I think he told me to ask her first;" and Raynal up with his scabbard and was making off.
Josephine begged him to do nothing of the kind.
"I can save you the trouble," said she.
"Ah, but my instructions! my instructions!" cried the military pedant, and ran off into the house, and left Josephine "planted there," as they say in France.
Raynal demanded a private interview of the baroness so significantly and unceremoniously that Rose had no alternative but to retire, but not without a glance of defiance at the bear.