with heavy tread and a noisy rattle of spurs
across the floor. Yet my ragged gentleman slept on. I touched him
lightly with my whip.

"Hold, mon bonhomme!" I cried to him. Still he did not move, whereat I
lost patience and caught him a kick full in the side, so choicely aimed
that first it doubled him up, then brought him into a sitting posture,
with the snarl of a cross-grained dog that has been rudely aroused.

From out of an evil, dirty countenance a pair of gloomy, bloodshot eyes
scowled threateningly upon me. The man on the chair awoke at the same
instant, and sat forward.

"Eh bien?" said I to my friend on the hearth: "Will you stir yourself?"

"For whom?" he growled. "Is not the Etoile as much for me as for you,
whoever you may be?"

"We have paid our lodging, pardieu!" swore he of the chair.

"My masters," said I grimly, "if you have not eyes to see my sodden
condition, and if you therefore have not the grace to move that I may
approach the fire; I'll see to it that you spend the night not only a
l'Etoile, but a la belle etoile." With which pleasantry, and a touch
of the foot, I moved my friend aside. My tone was not nice, nor do I
generally have the air of promising more than I can fulfil.

They were growling together in a corner when Antoine came to draw off
my doublet and my boots. They were still growling when Gilles joined us
presently, although at his coming they paused to take his measure with
their eyes. For Gilles was something of a giant, and men were wont to
turn their heads--aye, and women too--to admire his fine proportions.
We supped--so vilely that I have not the heart to tell you what we
ate--and, having supped, I bade my host light me to my chamber. As for
my men, I had determined that they should spend the night in the common
room, where there was a fire, and where--notwithstanding the company
of those two ruffians, into whose presence I had not troubled to
inquire--they would doubtless be better than elsewhere in that poor
hostelry.

In gathering up my cloak and doublet and other effects to bear them off
to the kitchen, the host would have possessed himself also of my sword.
But with a laugh I took it from him, remarking that it required no
drying.

As we mounted the stairs, I heard something above me that sounded like
the creaking of a door. The host heard it also, for he stood suddenly
still, his glance very questioning.

"What was that?" said he.

"The wind, I should say," I