my heart warms to her, and I love
her more tenderly than I do myself. Alas! I'm afraid, that this poor,
innocent, little fly is caught in the toils of a cruel spider, who will
take care never to let us get sight of her again."

"I will crush him," said de Sigognac, striking his heel savagely on the
ground, as if he actually had the spider under it. "I will crush
the life out of him, the venomous beast!" and the fierce, determined
expression of his usually calm, mild countenance showed that this was no
idle threat, but that he was terribly in earnest.

"Look," cried Herode, as they dashed through the thicket, "there they
are!"

They could just discern, through the screen of leafless but thickly
interlaced branches, a carriage, with all the curtains carefully closed,
and drawn by four horses lashed to a gallop, which was rapidly rolling
away from them in the distance. The two men whose horses had run away
with them had them again under control, and were riding on either side
of it--one of them leading the horse that had carried Isabelle and
her captor. HE was doubtless mounting guard over her in the
carriage--perhaps using force to keep her quiet--at thought of which
de Sigognac could scarcely control the transport of rage and agony that
shook him. Although the three pursuers followed the fugitives, as fast
as they could run, it was all of no avail, for they soon lost sight of
them altogether, and nothing remained to be done but to ascertain, if
possible, the direction they had taken, so as to have some clew to poor
Isabelle's whereabouts. They had considerable difficulty in making out
the marks of the carriage wheels, for the roads were very dry; and when
at length they had succeeded in tracing them to a place where four roads
met they lost them entirely--it was utterly impossible to tell which
way they had gone. After a long and fruitless search they turned back
sorrowfully to join their companions, trying to devise some plan for
Isabelle's rescue, but feeling acutely how hopeless it was. They found
the others in the chariot waiting for them, just where the tyrant and
Scapin had left them, for their false guide had put spurs to his horse
and ridden off after his confederates, as soon as he became aware
that their undertaking had proved successful. When Herode asked an old
peasant woman, who came by with a bundle of fagots on her back, how
far it was to the Chateau de Pommereuil, she answered that there was no
place