gate, which was immediately, upon Hector's handing the guard the
cardinal's pass, opened to them. To the surprise of the men, he
turned off after riding a few miles.

"Are you not going to make for Calais, master?"

"No, I am bound for Poitou. We will cross the Seine by the bridge
of boats at Nantes, ride down through Dreux and Le Mans. There we
will separate. I shall follow the Sarthe, strike the Loire at Angers,
and then go on to Nantes. You will cross the Loire at Tours, and
then make for la Villar. I shall take you, Macpherson and Hunter,
with me. Paolo will ride with the other two, and will be the bearer
of letters from me."

Daylight was breaking when they crossed the bridge of boats. Hector
halted a mile from the river, keeping Paolo with him, and telling
the others to pass at intervals of a quarter of an hour apart.

"You will go first, Macpherson. You will ride south for an hour,
and then wait till the rest of us join you. It is like enough
that as soon as they find out that we have left they will send men
off in all directions to find out which way we followed, though
doubtless the chief pursuit will be directed towards Calais. I am
afraid that it will not be very long before they find we have left
the hotel, for the landlord, however well he may wish us, will
not dare mislead any person of consequence that Beaufort may send."

They had, however, a much longer start than Hector expected, for
early the next morning ten of the cardinal's guards appeared at the
hotel. The officer in command of them told the innkeeper that, in