lips curled with scorn, but she made no direct reply. She
simply repeated her determination to go, tenderly reassuring her friend,
and embracing her with effusion.

It was about four o'clock in the afternoon, and the day had already
considerably lowered, when Zulma's sleigh reached the outer gate of the
city. The officer in charge would fain have prevented her from going
further, but she stated her case so plainly, and argued with such an air
of authority, that he was obliged to yield to her wishes.

"Well," said she to herself, with a smile, "I have broken through one
circle of steel. It remains to see how I will pass through the other."

She did not have long to wait. About two miles from the city, the road
which she was following went down a steep hill at the foot of which
flowed a little stream much swollen at this season with snow and cakes
of ice. Over this stream there was a covered bridge whose entrance was
very dark. As she began the descent, the gloom and solitude of the gorge
rather agitated the nerves of Zulma, and she stimulated her horse in
order to pass through the bridge as rapidly as possible. Her eyes
glanced over every point of the ravine, and it was with a sigh of relief
that she approached the bridge without seeing any human being. But
suddenly, as the horse's hoofs touched the edge of the planked floor,
the animal grew restive, tossed up his head, balanced right and left in
the traces, and gave other unmistakeable signs of danger ahead. Zulma
attempted to urge him forward, but this only increased his terror. Her
servant, a green young rustic, with more strength than courage, turned
to her with consternation stamped upon his blank face, and muttered
something about obeying the animal's instinct and not venturing to
proceed farther.

"Jump out and see what is the matter," she exclaimed. "If you are
afraid, I will do it."

The fellow slowly stepped from the vehicle, and feeling his way along
the shaft, reached the horse's head where he paused and peered into the
dark cavity of the bridge. He then seized the bridle and tried to lead
the beast along. But the latter wrenched the bit from the driver's hand,
raised his forelegs high in air, shaking the sleigh and imperilling the
seat of Zulma. She, too, was about to leap forth, when her servant ran
back precipitately, exclaiming:

"The Bastonnais!"

At the same moment the gleam of bayonets was seen under the arch of the
bridge, two soldiers advanc