till half asleep, on the pillion in front of my Lord
Hastings.

"Keep your arm round him," admonished Blakeney; "your horse looks quiet
enough. But put on speed as far as Mantes, and may Heaven guard you
both!"

The two men pressed their heels to their horses' flanks, the beasts
snorted and pawed the ground anxious to start. There were a few
whispered farewells, two loyal hands were stretched out at the last,
eager to grasp the leader's hand.

Then horses and riders disappeared in the utter darkness which comes
before the dawn.

Blakeney and Ffoulkes stood side by side in silence for as long as the
pawing of hoofs in the mud could reach their ears, then Ffoulkes asked
abruptly:

"What do you want me to do, Blakeney?"

"Well, for the present, my dear fellow, I want you to take one of the
three horses we have left in the spinney, and put him into the shafts of
our old friend the coal-cart; then I am afraid that you must go back the
way we came."

"Yes?"

"Continue to heave coal on the canal wharf by La Villette; it is the
best way to avoid attention. After your day's work keep your cart and
horse in readiness against my arrival, at the same spot where you
were last night. If after having waited for me like this for three
consecutive nights you neither see nor hear anything from me, go back
to England and tell Marguerite that in giving my life for her brother I
gave it for her!"

"Blakeney--!"

"I spoke differently to what I usually do, is that it?" he interposed,
placing his firm hand on his friend's shoulder. "I am degenerating,
Ffoulkes--that's what it is. Pay no heed to it. I suppose that carrying
that sleeping child in my arms last night softened some nerves in my
body. I was so infinitely sorry for the poor mite, and vaguely wondered
if I had not saved it from one misery only to plunge it in another.
There was such a fateful look on that wan little face, as if destiny had
already writ its veto there against happiness. It came on me then how
futile were our actions, if God chooses to interpose His will between us
and our desires."

Almost as he left off speaking the rain ceased to patter down against
the puddles in the road. Overhead the clouds flew by at terrific speed,
driven along by the blustering wind. It was less dark now, and Sir
Andrew, peering through the gloom, could see his leader's face. It was
singularly pale and hard, and the deep-set lazy eyes had in them just
that fateful look which he