he would have expected from a girl of
Arithelli's type,--to go about dropping letters. She had not method
enough even to put on her clothes decently; they always looked as if
they were falling off, and her hair as if it was coming down.

_Sapristi_! A fine agent for the Cause! and one fit to be trusted with
important documents.

Poleski must have been quite mad when he suggested introducing her to
the Brotherhood, and he himself deserved even more blame for having as
much as listened to the suggestion.

A girl of that age, picked up from nowhere, and like the rest of her
sex a mass of lies and vanity.

He held the lantern above his head, and peered round. Surely they had
not been so utterly insane as to have attempted to escape to-night?
All the horses and mules were there safe enough, and obviously they
would not attempt to walk.

He strode towards the door, meeting them on the threshold, and in spite
of himself could not help being impressed by the uncanny likeness
between the two, in form and outline.

They had even the same trick of movement.

The thought of what he had found made him feel almost good-humoured,
although he took good care that no one else should benefit by this
unusual mood.

"You have found yourself a little distraction, _hein_?" he said,
ignoring Arithelli's presence. "We are not up here for amusement all
the same. There's nothing done. I supposed you had come down to see
to the horses."

Vardri strolled across to a rack, and took down an armful of saddles
and stirrups.

"I have," he answered laconically. "They'll be ready in five minutes."

Sobrenski turned to the girl, and spoke to her in an undertone. "What
are you wasting time for? See to your work." Vardri raised his head
from the adjustment of a girth.

"I'm doing Mademoiselle Arithelli's work. There is no need for her to
trouble." His accents possessed both dignity and command. For an
instant their positions were reversed. The leader smothered an oath;
but said no more. He reflected that he could well afford to wait for
his revenge. The game was absolutely in his own hands if only they had
known it.

He could see that they were both perfectly unconscious of the fact that
they had lost anything. When they discovered they would most likely
conclude it had happened during the ride up.

When Arithelli had dragged herself up into her bedroom the sky was
lighting with the dawn. They had mistaken the road and go