everal pinnacles and turret-tops; the round stern of a chapel, with a
fringe of flying buttresses, projected boldly from the main block; and
the door was sheltered under a deep porch carved with figures and
overhung by two long gargoyles. The windows of the chapel gleamed
through their intricate tracery with a light as of many tapers, and
threw out the buttresses and the peaked roof in a more intense
blackness against the sky. It was plainly the hotel of some great
family of the neighborhood; and as it reminded Denis of a town house of
his own at Bourges, he stood for some time gazing up at it and mentally
gauging the skill of the architects and the consideration of the two
families.

There seemed to be no issue to the terrace but the lane by which he had
reached it; he could only retrace his steps, but he had gained some
notion of his whereabout, and hoped by this means to hit the main
thoroughfare and speedily regain the inn. He was reckoning without
that chapter of accidents which was to make this night memorable above
all others in his career; for he had not gone back above a hundred
yards before he saw a light coming to meet him, and heard loud voices
speaking together in the echoing narrows of the lane. It was a party
of men-at-arms going the night round with torches. Denis assured
himself that they had all been making free with the wine-bowl, and were
in no mood to be particular about safe-conducts or the niceties of
chivalrous war. It was as like as not that they would kill him like a
dog and leave him where he fell. The situation was inspiriting but
nervous. Their own torches would conceal him from sight, he reflected;
and he hoped that they would drown the noise of his footsteps with
their own empty voices. If he were but fleet and silent, he might
evade their notice altogether.

Unfortunately, as he turned to beat a retreat, his foot rolled upon a
pebble; he fell against the wall with an ejaculation, and his sword
rang loudly on the stones. Two or three voices demanded who went
there--some in French, some in English; but Denis made no reply, and
ran the faster down the lane. Once upon the terrace, he paused to look
back. They still kept calling after him, and just then began to double
the pace in pursuit, with a considerable clank of armor, and great
tossing of the torchlight to and fro in the narrow jaws of the passage.

Denis cast a look around and darted into the porch. There he might
escap