queen's flight would, beyond all question, seal
his fate.

Pierre, he felt sure, would do all that he could for him; but that
could amount to almost nothing. Even if he had the means of filing
through or removing the bars, it would need a long stout rope to
enable him to descend to the water's edge, a hundred feet below
him; and that he could obtain possession of either file, or rope,
seemed to him as absolutely impossible.

"Nevertheless," he said to himself, "I will let Pierre know where I
am confined. I do not see that it can do any good. But he is a
fellow of resource. I have great faith in him and, though I can see
no possible plan of escape, he, being without, may try something.

"I have no doubt that his first endeavour will be to find out where
I am confined. I warrant he will know my cap, if he sees it. He has
an eye like a hawk and, if he sees anything outside one of the
windows, he will suspect at once that it is a signal; and when he
once looks closely at it, he will make out its orange tint and
these three long cock's feathers."

So saying, he thrust one of his arms through the bars with the cap,
which he allowed to hang down against the wall below. There he
stood for two hours, closely examining every boat that came along.
At last he saw one rowed by two men, with a third sitting in the
stern; and had no difficulty in making out, as it came closer, that
this was Pierre, who was gazing at the castle.

Presently he saw him suddenly clap his hands, and speak to the
rowers. These did not look up, but continued to row on in the same
leisurely way as before; nor did Pierre again glance at the castle.

Satisfied that his signal had been observed, Philip withdrew it,
but continued to watch the boat. It went half a mile higher up,
then turned and floated quietly down the stream again. When he had
seen it pass the bridge, he threw himself down on the couch.

"There is nothing more for me to do," he said. "The matter is in
Pierre's hands, now."

He listened for a time to the tramp of a sentry, backwards and
forwards outside his door; and then fell off to sleep, from which
he did not awake until he heard the bars withdrawn, and the key
turned in the lock. Then a man accompanied by two soldiers entered,
and placed a chicken, a bottle of wine, and a loaf of bread on the
table.

"Monsieur D'Estanges sends this, with his compliments," he said;
and then Philip was again left alone.

Two hours after it became