Volume I Part 18 (2/2)
”So you want to drive lars, vivaciously
”Yes, madame, for five hundred francs”
”Then harness your horses at once”
”But,” sta his head, ”I make it a rule to take o quick, because I ao too The roads will not get any better, and the mountain passes of Oliolles are not easy to ride over, even in good weather”
In less than a quarter of an hour, the baroness sat in the coach The innkeeper stood at the door, and, as the horses started, he whispered to the coachman: ”Take care of yourself, old fellow You know you have every reason to be prudent”
”I will be so,” replied Jacob, as he whipped the horses and drove off
In theup trees, rolling the wavesthe heavy coach as if it had been a feather The horses seemed to care as little for the weather as the coachlars, however, beca bitterly, cowered in a corner of the carriage Around about her, as within her, all was dark She still thought she heard the rattling of Benedetto's chains in the roar and fury of the storuish the soft voice of Benedetto Suddenly a sharp jolt was felt, the coachlars sank in a seainst the cushi+ons of the coach
When she recovered herself she became aware that one of the horses had stu, and tried to raise the anily said:
”Madaive you your money back We will not be able to reach Beaussuet”
The storlars looked anxiously at the man, and in a hollow voice asked:
”Where are we?”
”The devil only knows These passes look all alike”
”But we cannot remain here What would beco
”Coly said
”These passes have always been dangerous Thirty years ago I met with a misfortune at this same place; oh, when I think of that tilars looked anxiously at him, and murmured softly:
”May God have mercy upon me!”
The man paused for a moment and then said:
”I know another way out of the difficulty We could return to Oliolles, which is fifteen minutes distant, and so broke We could wait at Oliolles until the stor I know the ain as soon as the storm is over?”
”As true as I stand here,” the ot out, while Jacob unharnessed the horses and took one of the coach la the lantern aloft
He threw the reins about his arlars sloalked behind