Part 59 (1/2)
”Qui va la?”
”A friend!” he replied, panting and exhausted ”Where is citizen Heron?”
”Here!” came the reply in a voice hoarse with passionate excitement
”Come up, daested one of the drivers
”No--no--not now Here! Where the devil are we?”
”We are close to the chapel on our left, citizen,” said the sergeant
The runner, whose eyes were no doubt accustoe
”The gates of the chateau,” he said, still soht, citizen I have just coh them”
”Speak up, man!” and Heron's voice now sounded as if choked with passion ”Citizen Chauvelin sent you?”
”Yes He bade ained access to the chateau, and that Capet is not there”
A series of citizen Heron's choicest oaths interrupted the man's speech
Then he was curtly ordered to proceed, and he resu at the door of the chateau; after a while he was ade, but the place seemed otherwise absolutely deserted--only--”
”Only what? Go on; what is it?”
”As we rode through the park it see watched, and followed We heard distinctly the sound of horses behind and around us, but we could see nothing; and nohen I ran back, again I heard There are others in the park to-night besides us, citizen”
There was silence after that It seemed as if the flood of Heron's blasphemous eloquence had spent itself at last
”Others in the park!” And now his voice was scarcely above a whisper, hoarse and tre ”How many? Could you see?”
”No, citizen, we could not see; but there are horse round the chateau now Citizen Chauvelin took four uard outside He bade ht be safer to send him a few more men if you could spare thes quite close to the gates, and he suggested that all the horses be put up there for the night, and that the men come up to the chateau on foot; it would be quicker and safer, for the darkness is intense”
Even while the man spoke the forest in the distance sees brought sounds of life andof beasts or the screeching of night-birds It was the furtive advance of e to attack his kind But all in the distance still, all eant!” It was Heron's voice, but it too was subdued, and almost calm now; ”can you see the chapel?”
”More clearly, citizen,” replied the sergeant ”It is on our left; quite a s, I think”
”Then dismount, and walk all round it See that there are no s or door in the rear”
There was a prolonged silence, during which those distant sounds of , of furtive preparations for attack, struck distinctly through the night
Marguerite and Ar what to think, nor yet what to fear, heard the sounds uerite murmured under her breath: