htest details of the expedition with
astonishing quickness of mind. With her own hands she made large wallets
of coarse cloth, to carry provisions for the party, and contain the
money taken from the chests. She hastened to Falaise to ask Lefebre to
receive Allain and Flierle while awaiting the hour of action. Lefebre
who had already fixed his price and exacted a promise of twelve thousand
francs from the funds, would only, however, half commit himself. He
nevertheless agreed to lodge Allain and Flierle in the vacant building
in the Faubourg Saint-Laurent. Reassured on this point Mme. Acquet
returned to Donnay; during the night of 28th May, the men left the
chateau without their arms and were conducted to a barn, where they were
left all day alone with a small cask of cider which they soon emptied.
Mme. Acquet was meanwhile preparing another retreat for them. A short
way from the Church of Donnay there was an isolated house belonging to
the brothers Buquet, who were devoted to the Combrays; Joseph, the
shoemaker, had in the absence of Le Chevalier, been known as Mme.
Acquet's lover in the village, and if in the absence of any definite
testimony, it is possible to save this poor woman's memory from this
new accusation, we must still recognise the fact that she exercised an
extraordinary influence over this man. He submitted to her blindly "by
the rights she had granted him," said a report addressed to the Emperor.
Whatever the reason, she had only to say the word for Joseph Buquet to
give her his house, and the six men took possession next day. The
Buquets' mother undertook to feed them for four days; they left her at
dusk on the 2d June; Joseph showed them the road and even led them a
short way.

The poor fellows dragged along till morning, losing themselves often and
not daring to ask the way or to follow beaten tracks. They met Allain at
dawn, one mile from Falaise, on the edge of a wood near the hamlet of
Jalousie; he took them across Aubigny to an isolated inn at the end of
the village.

Lefebre had presented Allain to the innkeeper the night before, asking
if he would receive "six honest deserters whom the gendarmes tormented,"
for a few days, and the man had replied that he would lodge them with
pleasure.

As soon as they arrived at the inn Allain and his men, dropping with
fatigue, asked for breakfast and went at once to the room prepared for
them. It was half past four in the morning; they lay down on the stra