o burn it at
once, and to hide away the buttons for the present, and throw them away
the first time she left the town. "There will be a strict search," he
said, "for any signs of me, and those buttons would certainly betray you
if they were found."

When he got the box up he listened attentively for a little, and as, to
his great joy, he could not hear the footsteps of a sentinel, he threw it
on to the wall and jumped after it. He landed on his feet, and, picking up
the box, ran along the wall till he came to a gun. He tied the end of the
rope round this and slipped down. Then without a moment's delay he slung
the box over his shoulder and walked away. He had two or three outworks to
pass, but luckily there were no guards, so he made his way through them
without difficulty. All night he tramped on, and by morning was forty
miles away from Verdun. He did not want to begin to ply his assumed trade
till he was still farther away, so he lay down to sleep in a large wood.
He had saved from his rations during the week a certain amount of bread,
and he had bought a couple of loaves while wandering with his wares
through the town. He slept for the best part of the day, and started again
at night. Beyond making sure that he was going west he paid but little
attention to the roads he followed, but, keeping steadily in that
direction, he put another forty miles between him and Verdun by the
following morning. Then after a few hours' sleep he boldly went into a
village and entered an inn.

"You are a pedlar," the landlord said, "are you not?"

"Yes," he said, "I am selling wares manufactured by the prisoners at
Verdun."

The news spread and the villagers flocked in to look at these curiosities.

"I bought them at a low price, and will sell at the same. They could not
be made by ordinary labour at ten times the price I charge for them."

The bait took, and soon a good many small articles were sold. Two hours
later he again started on his way.

CHAPTER XV

ESCAPED

So he travelled across France, avoiding all large towns. Once or twice he
got into trouble with a pompous village official on account of his not
holding a pedlar's permit; but the feeling of the people was strong in
favour of a man who was selling goods for the benefit of poor prisoners,
and, of course, he always had some plausible story ready to account for
its absence. At last he came