hole affair did not take more than half an hour.
The three unknown men, who were quickly rejoined by the two who had
carried off the senator, then proceeded to ransack the chateau from
cellar to garret. They opened all closets and doors, and sounded the
walls; until five o'clock they were absolute masters of the place. By
that time the valet had managed to loosen with his teeth the rope that
bound Violette. Violette, able then to get the gag from his mouth,
began to shout for help. Hearing the shouts the five men withdrew to
the gardens, where they mounted horses closely resembling those at
Cinq-Cygne and rode away, but not so rapidly that Violette was unable to
catch sight of them. After releasing the valet, the two ladies, and the
notary, Violette mounted his pony and rode after help. When he reached
the pavilion he was amazed to see the gates open and Mademoiselle de
Cinq-Cygne apparently on the watch.

Directly after the young countess had ridden off, Violette was overtaken
by Grevin and the forester of the township of Gondreville, who had taken
horses from the stables at the chateau. The porter's wife was on her way
to summon the gendarmerie from Arcis. Violette at once informed Grevin
of his meeting with Laurence and the sudden flight of the daring girl,
whose strong and decided character was known to all of them.

"She was keeping watch," said Violette.

"Is it possible that those Cinq-Cygne people have done this thing?"
cried Grevin.

"Do you mean to say you didn't recognize that stout Michu?" exclaimed
Violette. "It was he who attacked me; I knew his fist. Besides, they
rode the Cinq-Cygne horses."

Noticing the hoof-marks on the sand of the _rond-point_ and along the
park road the notary stationed the forester at the gateway to see to
the preservation of these precious traces until the justice of peace
of Arcis (for whom he now sent Violette) could take note of them.
He himself returned hastily to the chateau, where the lieutenant
and sub-lieutenant of the Imperial gendarmerie at Arcis had arrived,
accompanied by four men and a corporal. The lieutenant was the same
man whose head Francois Michu had broken two years earlier, and who had
heard from Corentin the name of his mischievous assailant. This man,
whose name was Giguet (his brother was in the army, and became one of
the finest colonels of artillery), was an extremely able officer
of gendarmerie. Later he commanded the squadron of the Aube. The
sub-