hs at the mislaid articles which would have enabled them to
strike fire. I heard her step outside coming nearer and nearer; I saw
from my hiding-place the line of light beneath the door more and more
distinctly; close to it her footstep paused; the men inside--at the time
I thought they had been only two, but I found out afterwards there were
three--paused in their endeavours, and were quite still, as breathless
as myself, I suppose. Then she slowly pushed the door open with gentle
motion, to save her flickering candle from being again extinguished. For
a moment all was still. Then I heard my husband say, as he advanced
towards her (he wore riding-boots, the shape of which I knew well, as I
could see them in the light),--

"Amante, may I ask what brings you here into my private room?"

He stood between her and the dead body of a man, from which ghastly heap
I shrank away as it almost touched me, so close were we all together. I
could not tell whether she saw it or not; I could give her no warning,
nor make any dumb utterance of signs to bid her what to say--if, indeed,
I knew myself what would be best for her to say.

Her voice was quite changed when she spoke; quite hoarse, and very low;
yet it was steady enough as she said, what was the truth, that she had
come to look for a letter which she believed had arrived for me from
Germany. Good, brave Amante! Not a word about me. M. de la Tourelle
answered with a grim blasphemy and a fearful threat. He would have no
one prying into his premises; madame should have her letters, if there
were any, when he chose to give them to her, if, indeed, he thought
it well to give them to her at all. As for Amante, this was her first
warning, but it was also her last; and, taking the candle out of her
hand, he turned her out of the room, his companions discreetly making a
screen, so as to throw the corpse into deep shadow. I heard the key turn
in the door after her--if I had ever had any thought of escape it was
gone now. I only hoped that whatever was to befal me might soon be over,
for the tension of nerve was growing more than I could bear. The instant
she could be supposed to be out of hearing, two voices began speaking
in the most angry terms to my husband, upbraiding him for not having
detained her, gagged her--nay, one was for killing her, saying he had
seen her eye fall on the face of the dead man, whom he now kicked in his
passion. Though the form of their speech was as if they