If you knew him, Monsieur!"

"He allowed you a week, you say.--"

"From the day he accused me--last Saturday."

"And what facilities did he give you for the purpose?"

"His men and horses were at my service. He knew, of course, that all I
could do was to send for Monsieur de Merri."

"But why did he not send for Monsieur de Merri?"

"I don't know. I suppose he was ruled by the advice of Captain
Ferragant. Perhaps he thought Monsieur de Merri would not come at his
request."

"But you did not use your husband's men and horses to send for Monsieur
de Merri."

"No. Mathilde--my maid whom you saw just now--thought I would better act
secretly. She feared the Captain would bribe the messenger to make only
a pretence of taking my message to Monsieur de Merri. In that case
Monsieur de Merri, knowing nothing, would not come, and his not coming
would be taken as evidence of guilt--as it will be now, though he got my
message, for Hugues is faithful. Why is it, Monsieur, that Monsieur de
Merri sent back word by Hugues that he would follow close, if he could
not come?"

"Something happened afterward. Hugues, then, is the name of the
messenger you sent?"

"Yes. He is devoted to Mathilde. They are accustomed to meet at certain
times. Mathilde has not much freedom, as you may guess, sharing my life
as she does. So she contrived to get possession for awhile of the key to
a postern yonder, and to pass it to Hugues when he came with flour. He
had a duplicate made, so that she could restore the original and yet
retain a key with which to let herself out and meet him in the forest.
Thus she was able to see him last Sunday morning, and to send him after
Monsieur de Merri. We knew that De Merri had started Westward, and
Hugues traced him from town to town. Ah, when Hugues returned
successful, how rejoiced we were! We expected Monsieur de Merri every
hour. But the time went by, and our hopes changed to fears, and now,
heaven pity me, it is the fears that have come true!"

"But you are not yet lost. Even if the Count should be so blind as to
think you guilty, you have at least one resource. You have the key to
the postern. You can flee."

"And be caught before I had fled two leagues. I am visited every three
hours, as if I were a prisoner, and as soon as I was missed a score of
men would be sent in all directions. Besides, for some reason or other,
the Count has the roads watched from the tower. If I fled into the
forest, the blo