unroom from which a window looked out upon the front of the house.
There he made himself a bed with blankets and pillows that he brought
from above and lay down amid arms.

The gunroom was certainly well stocked. It held repeating rifles and
fowling-pieces, large and small, and revolvers. One big breech-loader
had the weight of an elephant rifle, and there were also swords,
bayonets and weapons of ancient type. But John looked longest at the
big rifle. He felt that if need be he could hold the lodge against
almost anything except cannon.

"It's the first time I ever had a whole armory to myself," he said,
looking around proudly at the noble array.

But he was quite sure that no one could come for days except Muller, and
the mystery of the forester's absence again troubled him, although not
very long. Another look at the driving snow, and, wrapping himself in
his blankets, he fell asleep to the music of the storm. John awoke once
far in the night, and his sense of comfort, as he lay between the
blankets on the sofa that he had dragged into the gunroom, was so great
that he merely luxuriated there for a little while and listened to the
roar of the storm, which he could yet hear, despite the thickness of the
walls. But he rose at last, and went to the window.

The thick snowy blast was still driving past, and his eyes could not
penetrate it more than a dozen feet. But he rejoiced. Their castle was
growing stronger and stronger all the time, as nature steadily built her
fortifications higher and higher around it. Mulier himself, carrying out
his duties of huntsman, might have gone to some isolated point in the
mountains, and would not be able to return for days. He wished no harm
to Muller, but he hoped the possibility would become a fact.

He went back to his blanket and when he awoke in the morning the great
Alpine storm was still raging. But he bathed and refreshed himself and
found a store of clothing better than that of the forester. It did not
fit him very well, nevertheless he was neatly arrayed in civilian attire
and he went to the kitchen, meaning to put himself to use and cook the
breakfast. But Suzanne was already there, and she saluted him with stern
and rebuking words.

"I reign here," she said. "Go back and talk to Mademoiselle Julie. Since
we're alone and are likely to be so, for God knows how long, it's your
duty to see that she keeps up her spirits. I'd have kept you two apart
if I could, but it has b