me as if I
were the dirt of the gutter.

"They 're waitin'," said he, curtly. "An' Sir Chawles would like
to know if ye would care for a humberreller?"

"Ah, m'sieu'! he rains?" I inquired.

"No, mum."

"Ah! he is going to rain, maybe?"

He made no answer, but turned quickly and went to a near closet,
from which he brought a faded umbrella.

"There," said he, as he led me to the front door, "see that you
send it back."

On the porch were the secretary and the ladies--three of them.

"Ciel! what is it?" one of them whispered as I came out.

The post-lights were shining in their faces, and lovelier I never
saw than those of the demoiselles. They stepped lightly to the
coach, and the secretary asked if I would go in with them.

"No, m'sieu'," was my answer; "I sit by ze drivaire."

"Come in here, you silly goose," said one of the ladies in French,
recognizing my nationality.

"Grand merci!" I said, taking my seat by the driver; and then we
were off, with as lively a team as ever carried me, our lights
flashing on the tree trunks. We had been riding more than two
hours when we stopped for water at a spring-tub under a hill. They
gave me a cup, and, for the ladies, I brought each a bumper of the
cool, trickling flood.

"Ici, my tall woman," said one of them, presently, "my boot is
untied."

Her dainty foot came out of the coach door under ruffles of silk.
I hesitated, for I was not accustomed to that sort of service.

"Lambine!" she exclaimed. "Make haste, will you?" her foot moving
impatiently.

My fingers had got numb in the cold air, and I must have been very
awkward, for presently she boxed my ears and drew her foot away.

"Dieu!" said she. "Tell him to drive on."

I got to my seat quickly, confident that nature had not intended me
for a lady's-maid. Awhile later we heard the call of a picket far
afield, but saw no camp. A horseman--I thought him a cavalry
officer--passed us, flashing in our faces the light of a dark
lantern, but said nothing. It must have been near midnight when,
as we were going slowly through deep sand, I heard the clang of a
cow-bell in the near darkness. Another sounded quickly a bit
farther on. The driver gave no heed to it, although I recognized
the signal, and knew something would happen shortly. We had come
into the double dark of the timber when, suddenly, our horses
reared, snorting, and stopped. The driver felt for his big pistol,
but not in the right p