o the other. No
one will notice them there, whereas if a search is made--and I have
no doubt a search will be made of the houses near the river--they
will light upon them in my shed, and they would not believe my
story that I had two citizens from Vallet living here--in the first
place because it is an unlikely place to put them up, and in the
second because no such citizens would be forthcoming. It is lucky
that you told the men to get a cask of wine and a store of
provisions on board, before starting.

"Well, you know, captain, that whenever you choose to land again,
my house is at your disposal; and I will carry out what we
arranged, that I should get together a score of men I can trust,
and to each of whom I can promise a hundred francs, for a night's
work in a good cause."

They packed up their former disguises, which might come in useful
again. Their pistols they had already about them. They then went
out on to the wharf again and, a few minutes later, were joined by
Jules Desailles.

"I have been nervous ever since I left you," Jean Martin said, as
his friend shook hands with Leigh. "I was afraid that a quarter of
an hour's delay might be fatal."

"I lost no time. But I feel sure that it will be an hour before
anyone is down after me; they are all too fond of listening to
their own voices to close any discussion, in less than an hour
after the proposer has sat down. I hope the boat is not far off,
for this portmanteau of mine is heavy, I can assure you."

Martin took it up and swung it on to his shoulder.

"No, my dear Jean, I won't have it."

"Nonsense, Jules. The weight is nothing to me though, no doubt, to
a man who never takes any exercise it would feel heavy."

"To say the truth, it is heavier than I expected. I went on packing
up everything that I did not like to leave behind, until the thing
was crammed full; and after I had locked it, and went to lift it, I
was thunderstruck with the weight."

"Did your servant see you go out?"

"No; I rang for her, and told her that I was going out, and did not
suppose that I should be back till late, and that she could go to
bed when she liked--which I knew would be a few minutes after she
got permission. She is a sort of human dormouse and, nineteen times
out of twenty, I have had to wait for my breakfast. I was in a
fright as I walked down here, lest some one who knew me might run
against me, but happily I saw no one."

"They would not recognize you, i