through Van Corlaer's eyes, and saw
them vanishing. The sentinel, glancing down from time to time with a
furtive cast of his eye, saw Antonia nodding or shaking her flaxen head
in complete unison with Van Corlaer's nods and negations, and caught the
sweet monotone of her voice repeating over and over:--

"Yes, mynheer. Yes, mynheer."

IX.

THE TURRET.

While Antonia continued her conference on the stone steps leading to the
wall, the dwarf was mounting a flight which led to the turret. Klussman
walked ahead, carrying her instrument and her ration for the day. There
was not a loophole to throw glimmers upon the blackness. The ascent
wound about as if carved through the heart of rock, and the tall Swiss
stooped to its slope. Such a mountain of unseen terraces made Le
Rossignol pant. She lifted herself from step to step, growing dizzy with
the turns and holding to the wall.

"Wait for me," she called up the gloom, and shook her fist at the unseen
soldier because he gave her no reply. Klussman stepped out on the turret
floor and set down his load. Stretching himself from the cramp of the
stairway, he stood looking over bay and forest and coast. The
battlemented wall was quite as high as his shoulder. One small cannon,
brought up with enormous labor, was here trained through an embrasure to
command the mouth of the river.

Le Rossignol emerged into the unroofed light and the sea air like a
potentate, dragging a warm furred robe. She had fastened great hoops of
gold in her ears, and they gave her peaked face a barbaric look. It was
her policy to go in state to punishment. The little sovereign stalked
with long steps and threw out her arm in command.

"Monsieur the Swiss, stoop over and give me thy back until I mount the
battlement."

Klussman, full of his own bitter and confused thinking, looked blankly
down at her heated countenance.

"Give me thy back!" sang the dwarf in the melodious scream which anger
never made harsh in her.

"Faith, yes, and my entire carcass," muttered the Swiss. "I care not
what becomes of me now."

"Madame Marie sent you to escort me to this turret. You have the honor
because you are an officer. Now do your duty as lieutenant of this
fortress, and make me a comfortable prisoner."

Klussman set his hands upon his sides and smiled down upon his prisoner.

"What is your will?"

"Twice have I told you to stoop and give me your back, that I may mount
from the cannon to the battl