door. They were all muffled in long black cloaks, and wore their caps
pulled down over their faces, as if they were afraid of being
recognized. They were wicked-looking men, and they had big knives stuck
in their belts quite convenient to their hands. It was a band of
robbers; and they had come to steal Launomar's cow, who was known to be
the handsomest in all that part of the world.

Very softly they forced open the great door, and very softly they stole
across the floor to Mignon's stall and threw a strong halter about her
neck to lead her away. But first they were careful to tie up her mouth
in a piece of cloth so that she could not low and tell the whole
monastery what danger she was in. Mignon was angry, for that was just
what she had meant to do as soon as she saw that these were no friends,
but wicked men who had come for no good to her or to the monastery.

But now she had to go with them dumbly, although she struggled and
kicked and made all the noise she could. But the monks were already
sound asleep and snoring on their hard pallets, and never suspected what
was going on so near to them. Even Launomar, who turned over in his
sleep and murmured, "Ho, Mignon, stand still!" when he dimly recognized
a sound of kicking,--even Launomar did not waken to rescue his dear
Mignon from the hands of those villains who were taking her away.

The robbers led her hurriedly down the lane, across the familiar meadows
and into the dense woods, where they could hide from any one who
happened to pass by. Now it was dark and they could see but dimly where
they were going. The paths crossed and crisscrossed in so many
directions that they soon began to quarrel about which was the right
one to take. They did not know this part of the country very well, for
they were strangers from a different province, who had come to
Launomar's home because they had heard of his famous cow and were bound
to have her for themselves.

Very soon the robbers were lost in the tangle of trees and bushes and
did not know where they were, or in which direction they ought to go.
One said, "Go that way," pointing towards the north. And one said, "No,
no! Go _that_ way," pointing directly south. The third grumbled and
said, "Ho, fellows! Not so, but _this_ way," and he strode towards the
east. While the fourth man cried, "You are all wrong, comrades. It is
_there_ we must go," and he started to lead Mignon towards the west. But
the fifth robber confessed