anything for some seconds, though she kept her station. By the
time her perceptions had cleared themselves, Martin, cap in hand,
was in the lane below, listening deferentially to the two
gentlemen, who were assuring him that inquiry had been made, and a
guard carefully set at the fugitive could have passed those, or be
able to do so. She must certainly be hidden somewhere near home,
and Martin had better warn all his friends against hiding her,
unless they wished to be hung up on the thresholds of their burning
farm-steads. Martin bowed, and thought the fellows would know
their own interest and Mademoiselle's better.

'Well,' said the Chevalier, 'we must begin without loss of time.
My son has brought down a set of fellows here, who are trained to
ferret out heretics. Not a runaway weasel cold escape them! We
will set them on as soon as ever they have taken a bit of supper up
there at the Chateau; and do you come up with us just to show them
the way across to Leonard's. That's no unlikely place for her to
lurk in, as you said this morning, good fellow.'

It was the most remote farm from that of Martin, and Eustacie felt
how great were his services, even while she flushed with anger to
hear him speaking of her as Mademoiselle. He was promising to
follow immediately to the castle, to meet _ces Messieurs_ there
almost as soon as they could arrive, but excusing himself from
accompanying them, by the need of driving home the big bull, whom
no one else could manage.

They consented, and rode on. Martin watched them out of sight,
then sprang up by some stepping-stones in the bank, a little below
where Eustacie sat, and came crackling through the boughs to where