l, and had only been prevented
from overtaking him by the freshness of the horses which his dramatic
foresight had provided.

The leader of these four pursuers was Billy Wantage, who had come to
know of the curious action of the Seigneur of Chaudiere from an intimate
friend, a clerk in the bank. Billy's fortunes were now in a bad way,
and, in desperate straits for money, he had planned this bold attempt
at the highwayman's art with two gamblers, to whom he owed money, and a
certain notorious horse-trader of whom he had made a companion of late.
Having escaped punishment for a crime once before, through Charley's
supposed death, the immunity nerved him to this later and more dangerous
enterprise. The four rode as hard as their horses would permit, but M.
Dauphin and his companion kept always an hour or more ahead, and, from
the high hills overlooking the village, Billy and his friends saw the
two enter it safely in the light of evening.

His three friends urged Billy to turn back, since they were out of
provisions and had no shelter. It was unwise to go to a tavern or a
farmer's house, where they must certainly be suspected. Billy, however,
determined to make an effort to find the banking-place of the money, and
refused to turn back without a trial. He therefore proposed that they
should separate, going different directions, secure accommodation for
the night, rest the following day, and meet the next night at a point
indicated. This was agreed upon, and they separated.

When the four met again, Billy had nothing to communicate, as he had
been taken ill during the night before, and had been unable to go
secretly into Chaudiere village. They separated once more. When they met
the next night Billy was accompanied by an old confederate. As he was
entering Chaudiere the previous evening, he had met John Brown, with his
painted wagon and a new mottled horse. John Brown had news of importance
to give; for, in the stable-yard of the village tavern, he had heard one
habitant confide to another that the money for the new church was kept
in the safe of the tailor-shop. John Brown was as ready to share in
Billy's second enterprise as he had been to incite him to his first
crime.

So it was that as the Seigneur made his epigram and gloated over it,
the five men, with horses at a convenient distance, armed to the teeth,
broke stealthily into Charley's house.

They entered silently through the kitchen window, and made their way