et her out of prison. Leigh's band are
coming also. Of course, they will travel singly. If of no other
use, they will be better able to ask questions than we.

"I am going over now to Rehan's farm, to see my boy and to thank
Marthe for saving him."

"It was well managed, indeed," the priest said. "I went over
yesterday to see the child, and the nurse told me how its escape
had been contrived. It was a happy thought on the part of its
mother, and the woman carried it out well.

"But before you go, you must take a meal. I am sure that you must
want it."

"I will not say no to that," Jean replied, "for we have not broken
our fast this morning."

In half an hour, the cure's table was most abundantly furnished
for, as soon as the news spread through the village that the
seigneur had arrived, and was at the house of the priest, the women
brought in little presents--a dozen eggs, a fowl, or some trout
that had been caught by the boys in the stream, that morning.

One or two of the women volunteered to assist the cure's servant.
Three fowls were hastily plucked, cut asunder, and grilled over the
fire. As soon as they were nearly ready, they were placed in front
of the fire to be finished, while the trout took their place. The
repast began with these, the fowls followed, and it was concluded
with an omelette.

"I have not eaten such a meal, father," Martin said, "since I rode
away. I think, after this, I shall be able to take a more hopeful
view of matters. In that respect the meal will be thrown away upon
Leigh, for he always takes the brightest view of everything, and
has never ceased to assure me that we are sure to manage to get my
wife out of the hands of these villains, somehow; and as he has so
far always succeeded in what he has attempted, I feel a good deal
of faith in him. I should be as hopeful as he, if I knew that the
Henriette was in the river at Nantes, and that I had to my hand a
dozen stout fellows I could thoroughly rely on."

After paying a visit to the farm, praising Marthe, and arranging
that she should continue to live there, they returned to the
village.

"We will go over to the chateau, Leigh, before we do anything else.
I want to see how hot the ruins are."

"I should think that they must be pretty cool by this time, Jean.
You see, it is nearly four days since it was burnt."

"I have no doubt that the walls will be cool enough; but there was
a lot of woodwork about it. When the roof fell