ooking up it, Rupert saw that it was crossed by a dozen iron bars,
the height too was very great, and even when at the top the height
was immense to descend to the fosse.

The loophole was next examined. It was far too narrow to squeeze
through, and was crossed by three sets of bars. The chance of
widening the narrow loophole and removing the bars without
detection was extreme; besides, Rupert had a strong idea that the
loophole looked into the courtyard.

Finally he came to the conclusion, that if an escape was to be made
it must be by raising a flag of the floor, tunnelling between his
room and that underneath it, and working out through the solid
wall. It would be a tremendous work, for the loophole showed him
that the wall must be ten feet thick; still, as he said to himself,
it will be at least something to do and to think about, and even if
it takes five years and comes to nothing, it will have been useful.

Thus resolved, Rupert went to work, and laboured steadily. His
exercise with the chair and table succeeded admirably, and after
six months he was able to perform feats of strength with them that
surprised himself. With his scheme for escape he was less
fortunate. Either his tools were faulty, or the stones he had to
work upon were too compact and well built, but beyond getting up
the flag, making a hole below it in the hard cement which filled in
the space between the floor, large enough to bury a good sized cat,
Rupert achieved nothing.

He had gone into prison in November, it was now August, and he was
fast coming to the idea that Loches was not to be broken out of by
the way in which he was attempting to do it.

One circumstance gave him intense delight. Adele's hiding place had
not been discovered. This he was sure of by the urgency with which
the governor strove to extract from him the secret of her
whereabouts. Their demands were at the last meeting mingled with
threats, and Rupert felt that the governor had received stringent
orders to wring the truth from him. So serious did these menaces
become that Rupert ceased to labour at the floor of his cell, being
assured that ere long some change or other would take place. He was
not mistaken. One day the governor entered, attended, as usual, by
the gaoler and another official.

"Sir," he said to Rupert, "we can no longer be trifled with. I have
orders to obtain from you the name of the place to which you
escorted the young lady you went off with. If y