Lord Tony's Wife (35 page)

There was no time to lose: the horses—still very fresh—were fretting to start.

“Where do we pick up Hastings and Ffoulkes?” asked Sir Percy Blakeney finally as he turned toward the interior of the barouche, the hood of which hid its occupants from view.

“At the corner of the Rue de Gigan,” came the quick answer. “It is only two hundred metres from the city gate. They are on the look out for you.”

“Ffoulkes shall be postilion,” rejoined Sir Percy with a laugh, “and Hastings sit beside me on the box. And you will see how at the city gate and all along the route soldiers of the guard will salute the equipage of the all-powerful proconsul of Nantes. By Gad!” he added under his breath, “I’ve never had a merrier time in all my live—not even when…”

He clicked his tongue and gave the horses their heads—and soon the coachman and the postilion and Jean-Marie the gravedigger of the cemetery of Ste-Anne were left gaping out into the night in the direction where the barouche had so quickly disappeared.

“Now for Le Croisic and the Day-Dream,” signed the daring adventurer contentedly,”…and for Marguerite!” he added wistfully.

II

Under the hood of the barouche Yvonne, wearied but immeasurably happy, was doing her best to answer all her dear milor’s impassioned questions and to give him a fairly clear account of that terrible chase and flight through the streets of the Isle Feydeau.

“Ah, milor’, how can I tell you what I felt when I realized that I was being carried along in the arms of the valiant Scarlet Pimpernel?” A word from him and I understood. After that I tried to be both resourceful and brave. When the chase after us was at its hottest we slipped into a ruined and deserted house. In a room at the back there were several bundles of what looked like old clothes. “This is my store-house,” milor’ said to me; “now that we have reached it we can just make long noses at the whole pack of bloodhounds.” He made me slip into some boy’s clothes which he gave me, and whilst I donned these he disappeared. When he returned I truly did not recognize him. He looked horrible, and his voice…! After a moment or two he laughed, and then I knew him. He explained to me the rτle which I was to play, and I did my best to obey him in everything. But oh! I hardly lived while we once more emerged into the open street and then turned into the great Place which was full—oh full!—of people. I felt that at every moment we might be suspected. “Figure to yourself, my dear milor’…”

What Yvonne Dewhurst was about to say next will never be recorded. My lord Tony had closed her lips with a kiss.

THE END