lips, set in a ring which I had seen him wearing on a finger
of his left hand, and I gave him to understand that this significant
sign would be obeyed. In the street two horses were waiting; we each
mounted one. My Spaniard took my bridle, held his own between his teeth,
for his right hand held the bloodstained bundle, and we went off at
lightning speed.

"'I could not see the smallest object by which to retrace the road we
came by. At dawn I found myself close by my own door, and the Spaniard
fled towards the Atocha gate.'

"'And you saw nothing which could lead you to suspect who the woman was
whom you had attended?' the Colonel asked of the surgeon.

"'One thing only,' he replied. 'When I turned the unknown lady over, I
happened to remark a mole on her arm, about half-way down, as big as
a lentil, and surrounded with brown hairs.'--At this instant the rash
speaker turned pale. All our eyes, that had been fixed on his, followed
his glance, and we saw a Spaniard, whose glittering eyes shone through
a clump of orange-trees. On finding himself the object of our attention,
the man vanished with the swiftness of a sylph. A young captain rushed
in pursuit.

"'By Heaven!' cried the surgeon, 'that basilisk stare has chilled me
through, my friends. I can hear bells ringing in my ears! I may take
leave of you; you will bury me here!'

"'What a fool you are!' exclaimed Colonel Hulot. 'Falcon is on the track
of the Spaniard who was listening, and he will call him to account.'

"'Well,' cried one and another, seeing the captain return quite out of
breath.

"'The devil's in it,' said Falcon; 'the man went through a wall, I
believe! As I do not suppose that he is a wizard, I fancy he must belong
to the house! He knows every corner and turning, and easily escaped.'

"'I am done for,' said the surgeon, in a gloomy voice.

"'Come, come, keep calm, Bega,' said I (his name was Bega), 'we will sit
on watch with you till you leave. We will not leave you this evening.'

"In point of fact, three young officers who had been losing at play went
home with the surgeon to his lodgings, and one of us offered to stay
with him.

"Within two days Bega had obtained his recall to France; he made
arrangements to travel with a lady to whom Murat had given a strong
escort, and had just finished dinner with a party of friends, when
his servant came to say that a young lady wished to speak to him.
The surgeon and the three officers went down su