; and I trust that, before long, you will
be back again with us."

"I hope so, Gregoire, but I fear it will not be for some time to
come."

They now walked forward, Leigh hurrying on in front until he came
to the little village inn. It was already closed but, on his
knocking violently at the door, a window above was opened.

"What are you making such a noise for, at this time of night?"

"I have come to call Captain Lefaux," he said. "A messenger has
just brought an order, from Bordeaux, that he is to get up anchor
at daylight."

"I will call him," the landlord said, and in three minutes Lefaux
came out.

"We are all here, Lefaux," Leigh said, "and we want to go on board
and get up anchor at once, and to be as far down the river as we
can, before daylight."

"The saints be praised that you have all escaped, Monsieur
Stansfield! We will lose no time. I have two men sleeping in a
cottage, close to where the boat is made fast. They sleep on the
ground floor, and I can tap at the window and get them out. I told
them to turn in as they stood, as they might be wanted at any
moment."

The others had now come up, and together they went down to the
boat. The tide had turned about an hour before, and the boat was
afloat.

"Now, I will fetch the men out," the skipper said, and in five
minutes he came down with them.

They untied the head rope of the boat, from the stump to which it
was fastened, and hauled it in.

"That is the lugger, I suppose?" Leigh said, pointing to a dark
object, a hundred yards from the shore.

"That is her, sir, and it won't take us long to get under weigh.
Everything is ready for hoisting sail."

They rowed off to the Henriette, and Leigh could hardly restrain a
shout of joy at finding himself once again on board her. The crew
had been unchanged since they left Nantes and, tumbling up on deck
as they heard the boat coming off, greeted Leigh most heartily; and
respectfully saluted Patsey and their owner. They would have broken
into cheers, had not their skipper sharply silenced them.

"It will be time enough to cheer when we reach the open sea, lads,"
he said; "and we will do so more heartily still, when we land
Madame Martin, Monsieur Leigh, and the owner and his wife either on
English ground, or the deck of an English ship."

"You mistake, captain," Monsieur Flambard said. "As you know, the
lugger was only passed over to me by Monsieur Martin to escape
confiscation. There is no long