passages and crooked stairs. However, he
knew the position of the rooms occupied by the farmer and his son,
and groped his way thither; whilst Paul, with more certain step,
sped lightly along another passage toward the room in which he knew
Joan slept, not far from the serving wenches, but by no means near
the men of the place.

All seemed profoundly quiet as he moved through the sleeping house;
but he had scarce reached the door of the maiden's room before he
heard the sound of a startled, muffled cry.

In a second he had burst open the door and had sprung in. The sight
which met his gaze showed how truly he had guessed. The window was
open, and upon a ladder, with his body half in the room, was a
sooty-faced man, holding in his hand a flaring torch to light the
movements of his companion. This companion was already in the room;
he was in the very act of lifting from the bed the form of the
bride elect, who was so wrapped and smothered in the bed clothes
that she was unable either to cry aloud or to resist. Paul could
not see the face of the ruffian who was thus molesting her, and
knew not whether it was Simon Dowsett or another in his employ; but
he was disposed to think it was the captain himself, from the
stalwart proportions of his frame and the gigantic strength he
plainly possessed, of which he had heard so many stories told.

This man was so engrossed in his efforts of lifting and carrying
away the struggling girl that he did not know it was any voice but
that of his companion which had uttered the exclamation he had
heard; and Paul, seeing that his presence was undetected, rushed
straight across the room toward the window, grasped the ladder in
both hands, and before the astonished ruffian upon it had recovered
his surprise sufficiently to grapple with him, had flung the ladder
and its occupant bodily to the ground, where the man lay groaning
and swearing on the frost-bound stones beneath.

The torch had fallen within the room, and Paul snatched it up and
stuck it in a crevice of the boards, for he did not wish his other
adversary to escape in the darkness. The man had uttered a great
oath as he became aware that his occupation had been interrupted,
and dropping his burden upon the bed, he turned furiously upon his
opponent, so quickly and so fiercely that Paul had barely time to
draw his poniard and throw himself into an attitude of defence
before the man was upon him.

"You again!" he hissed between h