se she wanted to hear: what
little chance she yet had, of being useful to Percy, consisted in
hearing absolutely every word of his enemy's plans.

The spot where all the party had halted must have lain some eight
hundred meters from the coast; the sound of the sea came only very
faintly, as from a distance. Chauvelin and Desgas, followed by the
soldiers, had turned off sharply to the right of the road, apparently
on to the footpath, which led to the cliffs. The Jew had remained on the
road, with his cart and nag.

Marguerite, with infinite caution, and literally crawling on her hands
and knees, had also turned off to the right: to accomplish this she had
to creep through the rough, low shrubs, trying to make as little noise
as possible as she went along, tearing her face and hands against
the dry twigs, intent only upon hearing without being seen or heard.
Fortunately--as is usual in this part of France--the footpath was
bordered by a low rough hedge, beyond which was a dry ditch, filled with
coarse grass. In this Marguerite managed to find shelter; she was quite
hidden from view, yet could contrive to get within three yards of where
Chauvelin stood, giving orders to his men.

"Now," he was saying in a low and peremptory whisper, "where is the Pere
Blanchard's hut?"

"About eight hundred meters from here, along the footpath," said the
soldier who had lately been directing the party, "and half-way down the
cliff."

"Very good. You shall lead us. Before we begin to descend the cliff, you
shall creep down to the hut, as noiselessly as possible, and ascertain
if the traitor royalists are there? Do you understand?"

"I understand, citoyen."

"Now listen very attentively, all of you," continued Chauvelin,
impressively, and addressing the soldiers collectively, "for after this
we may not be able to exchange another word, so remember every syllable
I utter, as if your very lives depended on your memory. Perhaps they
do," he added drily.

"We listen, citoyen," said Desgas, "and a soldier of the Republic never
forgets an order."

"You, who have crept up to the hut, will try to peep inside. If an
Englishman is there with those traitors, a man who is tall above the
average, or who stoops as if he would disguise his height, then give
a sharp, quick whistle as a signal to your comrades. All of you," he
added, once more speaking to the soldiers collectively, "then quickly
surround and rush into the hut, and each seize one