showed me the three close together outside, their
revolvers levelled. With a shout, I charged at my utmost pace across the
summer-house and through the doorway. Three shots rang out and battered
into my shield. Another moment, and I leapt out and the table caught
them full and square, and in a tumbling, swearing, struggling mass, they
and I and that brave table, rolled down the steps of the summerhouse to
the ground below. Antoinette de Mauban shrieked, but I rose to my feet,
laughing aloud.

De Gautet and Bersonin lay like men stunned. Detchard was under the
table, but, as I rose, he pushed it from him and fired again. I raised
my revolver and took a snap shot; I heard him curse, and then I ran like
a hare, laughing as I went, past the summer-house and along by the wall.
I heard steps behind me, and turning round I fired again for luck. The
steps ceased.

"Please God," said I, "she told me the truth about the ladder!" for the
wall was high and topped with iron spikes.

Yes, there it was. I was up and over in a minute. Doubling back, I saw
the horses; then I heard a shot. It was Sapt. He had heard us, and was
battling and raging with the locked gate, hammering it and firing into
the keyhole like a man possessed. He had quite forgotten that he was
not to take part in the fight. Whereat I laughed again, and said, as I
clapped him on the shoulder:

"Come home to bed, old chap. I've got the finest tea-table story that
ever you heard!"

He started and cried: "You're safe!" and wrung my hand. But a moment
later he added:

"And what the devil are you laughing at?"

"Four gentlemen round a tea-table," said I, laughing still, for it had
been uncommonly ludicrous to see the formidable three altogether routed
and scattered with no more deadly weapon than an ordinary tea-table.

Moreover, you will observe that I had honourably kept my word, and not
fired till they did.

CHAPTER 10

A Great Chance for a Villain

It was the custom that the Prefect of Police should send every afternoon
a report to me on the condition of the capital and the feeling of the
people: the document included also an account of the movements of any
persons whom the police had received instructions to watch. Since I had
been in Strelsau, Sapt had been in the habit of reading the report and
telling me any items of interest which it might contain. On the day
after my adventure in the summer-house, he came in as I was playing a
hand of _ecarte