great knocking at the door and, a minute later, a
pistol shot was fired. I heard afterwards that madame told Henri to
open the door. As he did so, the officer of the Blues shot him
through the head.

"For ten minutes I heard nothing more. Then someone came to the
stable, took out the two horses, and then set fire to it. Looking
out through the bushes, I saw the smoke coming out from two or
three windows of the chateau. Then I made off as quickly as I
could, got into the church, and set the bells ringing; thinking
that it might frighten off the Blues, though I knew that the men
were all away, and there was no chance of help.

"Soon they came riding along at full speed, and I saw madame in the
middle of them. As soon as they had gone, the women all ran out
from their houses. We tried our best to put out the flames, but the
fire had too much hold.

"As we were doing this, I saw Marthe with the child in her arms. It
had been saved well-nigh by a miracle, she said, and she told me
how her mistress had run in to her. She caught up the child, and
then, thinking that if they saw its clothes they would search for
it, she opened the drawers, seized them all, and ran down and put
them and the child into the kitchen cupboard, as her mistress had
told her, then ran back to her bedroom and began to dress.

"She heard her mistress call to Henri to go down and open the door.
She heard the pistol shot, and the Blues pour into the house. She
hurried on her clothes and went out. They were searching all over
the chateau. The officer came up to her, with a pistol in his hand.

"'Where is your master?' he said.

"'I do not know,' she replied. 'He rode away from here ten days
ago, and has not been back since.'

"'That is the tale your mistress tells,' he said.

"'It is true, sir. You go into the village and ask any of the women
there, they will tell you the same thing. I will swear on the cross
that it is so.'

"He seemed very angry, but turned away from her. Presently the
mistress came down, under a guard of two soldiers and, as she
passed, she said:

"'Goodbye, Marthe. Tell your master that I am thankful, indeed,
that he was not here.'

"Then the officers told the men to set fire to the house, in a
dozen places. They had all got bundles, having taken everything
they thought of value. As soon as they had set fire to the curtains
everywhere, and saw that the flames had got a good hold, they
mounted and rode off.

"They had n