king me
as profusely as he had before reproached me, he avowed he would do. With
that I rose.

At the last moment, and as I was parting from him, it occurred to me to
try upon him the shibboleth which in Father Cotton's mouth had so
mystified me. "This fire burns brightly," I said, kicking the logs
together with my riding-boot. "It must be of boxwood."

"Of what, sir?" he asked politely.

"Of boxwood! Why not?" I replied in a louder tone.

"My certes!" he answered, staring at me. "They do not burn boxwood in
this country. Those are larch trimmings, as all the world knows, neither
more nor less!"

While he wondered at my ignorance, I was pleased to discover his; and so
far I had lost my pains. But it did not escape me that the three
gamesters had ceased to play, and were listening to our conversation.
Moreover as I moved to the door they followed me with their eyes: and
when I turned after riding a hundred yards I found that they had come to
the door and were gaping after us.

This did not hinder me remarking that a hound which had been lying
before the fire had come forth with us, and was now running in front,
now gambolling about the horses' legs. I supposed that when it had
accompanied us a certain way it would return; but it persisted, and
presently where the road forked I had occasion to notice its movements;
for choosing one of the paths it stood in the mouth of it, wagging its
tail and inviting us to take that road: and this it did so
pertinaciously and cheerfully that though the directions we had received
at the inn would have led us to prefer the other track, we followed the
dog as the more trustworthy guide.

We had gone from this point about four hundred paces forward, when La
Trape showed me that the path was growing narrow, and betrayed few signs
of being used. It seemed certain--though the dog still ran confidently
ahead--that we were again astray; and I was about to draw rein and
return when I saw that the undergrowth on the right of the path had
assumed the character of a thick hedge of box--a shrub common only in a
few parts of the forest. Though less prone than most men to put faith in
omens, I accepted this; and, notwithstanding that it wanted but an hour
of sunset, I rode on, remarking that with each turn in the woodland
path, the scrub on my left also gave place more and more to the sturdy
tree which had been in my mind all day. Finally, we found ourselves
passing through an alley of box--wh