hastened to offer her the service she seemed to request of her, and helped her to ascend the rather steep staircase that led to the dais room.
The travellers left the driver and a lackey to guard the coach, which remained horsed, and silently followed the sick lady.
The dais room, the finest in the inn, was spacious and furnished with a certain amount of luxury; a large fire crackled on the hearth, and several candles, placed on the furniture, diffused a rather bright light.
A door half hidden by tapestry communicated with a bedroom, that had a door opening on the passage, for the convenience of the attendants.
When the lady had entered the room, she sank into a chair, and thanked the landlady with a bow.
The latter discreetly withdrew, astonished and almost terrified by the gloomy faces which surrounded her.
"Holy Virgin!" she said to Master Pivois, whom she found walking in great anxiety along the passage, "What's going to happen here? These men frighten me; that poor lady is all of a tremble, and the little I saw of her face behind her mask, is as white as a sheet."
"Alas!" Master Pivois said with a sigh, "I am as frightened as you, my dear, but we can do nothing; they are too great people for us—friends of his Eminence. They would crush us without pity; we have only one thing to do, and that is to retire to our room, as we received orders to do, and to keep quiet till our services are required; the house is theirs, at this moment they are the masters."
The landlord and his wife went into their room, and not satisfied with double locking their door, barricaded it with everything that came to hand.
As Master Pivois had said to his wife, the travellers were certainly masters of the inn, or at least believed themselves so.
The stranger, while feigning the deepest indifference, had watched the landlord's every movement: as soon as the latter left the kitchen to open the door for the newcomers, he rose, threw a purse of gold to the scullions, while putting his finger on his lips to recommend silence to them, and carefully wrapping himself in his mantle, left the kitchen.
The scullions, with the intelligence characteristic of the class, comprehended that this action of the stranger concealed some plans in the execution of which it was to their interest not to interfere; they divided the money so generously given them, and remembering the orders they had received from their master, they hastily decamped, and went off to hide themselves.
The stranger, while the landlord was receiving the travellers, had proceeded to the thickest part of the garden.
On reaching the little gate to which we have referred, he whistled gently.
Almost immediately two men seemed to rise from the midst of the darkness, and came up to him.
Each of these men had a long rapier at his side, pistols in his girdle, and a musketoon in his hand.
"What is there new?" the stranger asked; "Have you seen anything, Michael?"
"Captain," the man answered, to whom the question was addressed, "I have seen nothing, but still I fear a trap."
"A trap?" the stranger repeated.
"Yes," Michael continued, "Bowline has taken bearings of several ill-looking fellows who seem desirous of boarding us."
"Stuff! You are mad, Michael. You have seen the travellers who have just arrived at the inn."
"No, captain; on the contrary, they exactly resemble the fellows who have been chasing us ever since the day before yesterday, regular Cardinal's bloodhounds, I'll wager."
The stranger appeared to reflect. "Are they far off?" he at length asked.
"Speak, Bowline, my boy," said Michael, turning to his comrade, "and don't shiver your sails, the captain is hailing you."
"Well, then, Captain," said Bowline, a sturdy Breton, with a crafty look, "I sighted them over the starboard quarter at about four o'clock; I spread all my canvas to distance them, and I fancy I have left them four or five cables length in the rear."
"In that case we have about an hour before us?"
"Yes, about, Captain," Bowline replied.
"That is more than we want; listen, my lads, and swear on your honour as sailors to obey me."
"You may be quite sure we shan't fail, Captain," they answered.
"I reckon on you."
"Shiver my topsails, we know that," Michael replied.
"Whatever may happen to me," the stranger continued, "leave me to act alone, unless I give you express orders to come to my assistance. If the Cardinal's bloodhounds were to arrive while we are up aloft, you will bolt."
"We bolt!" the two sailors exclaimed.
"You must, lads! Who would deliver me if we were all three prisoners?" the stranger asked.
"That's true," Michael answered.
"Well then, that's settled, is it not?"
"Yes, Captain."
"Ah! By the way, if I am arrested you will want money to liberate me; take this."
He placed in their hands a heavy purse, which the sailors accepted without any remark.
"Now follow me, and keep your weather eye open, my lads."
"All right, Captain," Michael answered, "we are on watch."
The stranger then proceeded towards the house, closely followed by the two sailors. He reached the passage, at the end of which the travellers' room was, at the moment when Master Pivois and his wife were locking themselves in their bedroom.
The coach, guarded by the driver and a footman, was still standing in front of the principal entrance, but the three men passed unnoticed.
So soon as the landlady had left the room, the traveller who appeared to have a certain degree of authority over his companions, opened the bedroom door, doubtless to make certain there was no spy listening; then he took a chair, sat down by the fire, and made a sign to his companions to imitate him; the two lackeys alone remained standing near the door, with their hands resting on the muzzles of their carbines, butts of which were on the ground.
For some moments there was a funereal silence in this room, although six persons were assembled in it.
At length the traveller made up his mind to speak, and addressed the young lady, who was reclining in her chair, with her head bent on her breast and pendant arms.
"My daughter," he said, in a grave voice, and speaking in Spanish, "the moment has arrived for a clear and distinct explanation between us, for we have only four leagues to travel ere we reach the end of our long journey. I intend to remain twenty-four hours in this hostelry, in order to give you time to repair your strength, and allow you to appear in a proper state before the man for whom I destine you."
The young lady only replied to this dry address by a hollow groan.
Her
