the messenger who had carried the lady's note to Sable, and he was now
going to report its delivery and, perhaps, Monsieur de Merri's answer.
If I could dog his steps unseen, he would lead me to the lady who was in
danger.

CHAPTER IV.

WHO THE LADY WAS

By the time I was in the court-yard, the messenger was walking out of
the archway. By the time I was at the outer end of the archway, he was
well on his way toward one of the streets that go from the square. I
waited in the shelter of the archway till he had got into that
street--or road, I should say, for it soon leaves the town, proceeding
straight in a South-easterly direction for about half a league through
the country. As soon as he was out of the square, I was after him,
stepping so lightly I could scarce hear my own footfalls. He walked
rapidly, and as one who does not think of turning to look behind, a fact
which I observed with comfort.

If he was indeed the messenger, he must have been content with a very
short rest for his horse after delivering the note to Monsieur de
Merri;--must have started from Sable as soon as, or little later than,
Monsieur de Merri himself, to be in La Fleche on the same evening that
gentleman arrived there, and to be out of it again before I was, as he
must have been if he reached Le Lude by midnight. Perhaps he was passing
through La Fleche at the very time the duel was going on; but the sum of
all was, that he could not know Monsieur de Merri was killed, and this I
felt to be fortunate for me.

Another thought which I had while following him along the straight white
road that day, was that if the lady could command the services of this
able young fellow to bear a message so far, why could she not use him
directly for the saving of her life and honour? Evidently there was a
reason why mere zeal and ability would not suffice. Perhaps the
necessary service was one in which only a gentleman could be accepted.
But I feared rather that there might be some circumstance to make
Monsieur de Merri the only possible instrument; and my heart fell at
this, thinking what I had done. But I hoped for the best, and did not
lose sight of the young man ahead of me.

After we had walked about twenty minutes, the road crossed a bridge and
rose to the gates of a chateau which had at one corner a very high old
tower. In front of the chateau, the road turned off sharply to the left.
A few small houses constituted such a village as one often