ch I scarce had suspected before, that when Museau
returned, I had not recovered my equanimity, though the poor Fawn was
back in her corner again and shrouded in her blanket.

"He did not appear to remark anything strange in the behaviour of
either. We sate down to our game, though my thoughts were so preoccupied
that I scarcely knew what cards were before me.

"'I gain everything from you to-night, milor,' says he, grimly. 'We play
upon parole.'

"'And you may count upon mine,' I replied.

"'Eh! 'tis all that you have!' says he.

"'Monsieur,' says I, 'my word is good for ten thousand livres;' and we
continued our game.

"At last he said he had a headache, and would go to bed, and I
understood the orders too, that I was to retire. 'I wish you a good
night, mon petit milor,' says he,--'stay, you will fall without your
crutch,'--and his eyes twinkled at me, and his face wore a sarcastic
grin. In the agitation of the moment I had quite forgotten that I was
lame, and was walking away at a pace as good as a grenadier's.

"'What a vilain night!' says he, looking out. In fact there was a
tempest abroad, and a great roaring, and wind. 'Bring a lanthorn, La
Tulipe, and lock my lord comfortably into his quarters!' He stood a
moment looking at me from his own door, and I saw a glimpse of the poor
Biche behind him.

"The night was so rainy that the sentries preferred their boxes, and did
not disturb me in my work. The log-house was built with upright posts,
deeply fixed in the ground, and horizontal logs laid upon it. I had to
dig under these, and work a hole sufficient to admit my body to pass. I
began in the dark, soon after tattoo. It was some while after midnight
before my work was done, when I lifted my hand up under the log and felt
the rain from without falling upon it. I had to work very cautiously for
two hours after that, and then crept through to the parapet and silently
flung my rope over the gun; not without a little tremor of heart, lest
the sentry should see me and send a charge of lead into my body.

"The wall was but twelve feet, and my fall into the ditch easy enough. I
waited a while there, looking steadily under the gun, and trying to see
the river and the island. I heard the sentry pacing up above and humming
a tune. The darkness became more clear to me ere long, and the moon
rose, and I saw the river shining before me, and the dark rocks and
trees of the island rising in the waters.

"I made for th