ours--well, the Emperor's command
will bring you to reason. Pity I spoke, perhaps--but a man cannot keep
cool always. That command--Ah, thousand thunders! what do I see?"

The last words were spoken aloud. As Helene stood before him, silent,
rooted with horror to the ground, he watching her with folded arms in a
favourite imperial attitude, several sets of people strolled across the
lower end of the room, for this was one of a suite of salons. Suddenly
came the master of the house alone, walking slowly, his eyes fixed on a
letter in his hand, his face deathly white in the glimmer of the many
wax candles. Helene did not see her father at first, for her back was
turned to him, but at the General's words she turned quickly, and was
just aware of him as he passed into the next room. Without another word
or look she left her partner standing there, and fled away in pursuit of
him. Ratoneau watched the white figure vanishing, laughed aloud, and
swore heartily.

"This is dramatic," he said. "Fortunate that I have a friend at Court in
Madame la Comtesse! Suppose I go and join her."

Helene searched for her father in vain. By the time she reached the
other room, he had quite unaccountably vanished. As she flew on rather
distractedly among the guests, hurrying back to the ball-room, her
brother's peremptory hand was laid upon her arm.

"What is the matter, Helene? Where are you running? Are you dancing with
no one, and why do you look so wild?"

Helene answered none of these questions.

"Find me a partner, if you please," she said, with a sudden effort at
collecting herself. "But, Georges--no more of your officers."

Georges looked at her with a queer smile, but only said--

"And no more of your Chouans!"

CHAPTER XXIV

HOW MONSIEUR DE SAINFOY FOUND A WAY OUT

If Angelot expected to find the usual woodland stillness, that night,
about the approaches to the Chateau de Lancilly, he was mistaken. The
old place was surrounded; numbers of servants, ranks of carriages, a few
gendarmes and soldiers. Half the villages were there, too, crowding
about the courts, under the walls, and pressing especially round the
chief entrance on the west, where a bridge over the old moat led into a
court surrounded with high-piled buildings, one stately roof rising
above another. Monsieur de Sainfoy kept up the old friendly fashion, and
no gates shut off his neighbours from his domain.

Angelot came through the wood, which almost to