and as nine-tenths of them are
green, the inquiries increased at every step. Every one had just seen
it pass; it was only five hundred, two hundred, one hundred steps in
advance; at length they reached it, but it was not the friend. Once
the cab was also passed by a calash rapidly whirled along by two
post-horses. "Ah," said Cavalcanti to himself, "if I only had that
britzska, those two good post-horses, and above all the passport
that carries them on!" And he sighed deeply. The calash contained
Mademoiselle Danglars and Mademoiselle d'Armilly. "Hurry, hurry!" said
Andrea, "we must overtake him soon." And the poor horse resumed the
desperate gallop it had kept up since leaving the barrier, and arrived
steaming at Louvres.

"Certainly," said Andrea, "I shall not overtake my friend, but I shall
kill your horse, therefore I had better stop. Here are thirty francs; I
will sleep at the Red Horse, and will secure a place in the first coach.
Good-night, friend." And Andrea, after placing six pieces of five francs
each in the man's hand, leaped lightly on to the pathway. The cabman
joyfully pocketed the sum, and turned back on his road to Paris. Andrea
pretended to go towards the Red Horse inn, but after leaning an instant
against the door, and hearing the last sound of the cab, which was
disappearing from view, he went on his road, and with a lusty stride
soon traversed the space of two leagues. Then he rested; he must be near
Chapelle-en-Serval, where he pretended to be going. It was not fatigue
that stayed Andrea here; it was that he might form some resolution,
adopt some plan. It would be impossible to make use of a diligence,
equally so to engage post-horses; to travel either way a passport was
necessary. It was still more impossible to remain in the department of
the Oise, one of the most open and strictly guarded in France; this was
quite out of the question, especially to a man like Andrea, perfectly
conversant with criminal matters.

He sat down by the side of the moat, buried his face in his hands and
reflected. Ten minutes after he raised his head; his resolution was
made. He threw some dust over the topcoat, which he had found time to
unhook from the ante-chamber and button over his ball costume, and going
to Chapelle-en-Serval he knocked loudly at the door of the only inn in
the place. The host opened. "My friend," said Andrea, "I was coming from
Montefontaine to Senlis, when my horse, which is a troublesome creat