"God bless, today I was only startled, not hurt in any way."
Miss DelaSalle playfully blinked her enchanting blue-gray eyes: "The carriage crashed into the gate and exploded instantly. Several guards at the front were injured, and some ladies dancing had their skirts blown up by the blast. But since I was standing further away, I wasn't greatly affected. My dear old father, even though over fifty, is still as strong as when he was twenty. He carried me on his shoulder and fled from the fire scene."
Arthur brushed his rain-dampened hair and replied: "It is truly wonderful to hear that you're okay. Your father is indeed a brave hero. In such circumstances, most people would be frozen with fear, yet he remembered to pick up his daughter and run."
"Of course," Miss DelaSalle replied with some pride: "My father served during the Great Revolution, though before his retirement, he was only ever a Major in the artillery."
