ground for ridicule on the part of his entire command. Therefore his
first thought, after passing through the postern and realizing fully
what sort of predicament threatened him, was to recapture her and
return her to the prison room in the block-house without attracting
attention. This now promised to be an easier task than he had at first
feared; for in the moonlight, which on account of the dispersing
clouds, was fast growing stronger, he saw her seem to falter and
weaken. Certainly her flight was checked and took an eccentric turn, as
if some obstruction had barred her way. He rushed on, not seeing that,
as Alice swerved, a man intervened. Indeed he was within a few strides
of laying his hand on her when he saw her make the strange movement. It
was as if, springing suddenly aside, she had become two persons instead
of one. But instantly the figures coincided again, and in becoming
taller faced about and confronted him.

Hamilton stopped short in his tracks. The dark figure was about five
paces from him. It was not Alice, and a sword flashed dimly but
unmistakably in a ray of the moon. The motion visible was that of an
expert swordsman placing himself firmly on his legs, with his weapon at
guard.

Alice saw the man in her path just in time to avoid running against
him. Lightly as a flying bird, when it whisks itself in a short
semicircle past a tree or a bough, she sprang aside and swung around to
the rear of him, where she could continue her course toward the town.
But in passing she recognized him. It was Father Beret, and how grim he
looked! The discovery was made in the twinkling of an eye, and its
effect was instantaneous, not only checking the force of her flight,
but stopping her and turning her about to gaze before she had gone five
paces farther.

Hamilton's nerve held, startled as he was, when he realized that an
armed man stood before him. Naturally he fell into the error of
thinking that he had been running after this fellow all the way from
the little gate, where, he supposed, Alice had somehow given him the
slip. It was a mere flash of brain-light, so to call it, struck out by
the surprise of this curious discovery. He felt his bellicose temper
leap up furiously at being balked in a way so unexpected and withal so
inexplicable. Of course he did not stand there reasoning it all out.
The rush of impressions came, and at the same time he acted with
promptness. Changing the rapier, which he held in his