public room who might recognize us. Just in
the middle of our meal, the public diligence drove lumbering up under
the _porte-cochere_, and disgorged its passengers. Most of them turned
into the room where we sat, cowering and fearful, for the door was
opposite to the porter's lodge, and both opened on to the wide-covered
entrance from the street. Among the passengers came in a young,
fair-haired lady, attended by an elderly French maid. The poor young
creature tossed her head, and shrank away from the common room, full of
evil smells and promiscuous company, and demanded, in German French, to
be taken to some private apartment. We heard that she and her maid had
come in the coupe, and, probably from pride, poor young lady! she had
avoided all association with her fellow-passengers, thereby exciting
their dislike and ridicule. All these little pieces of hearsay had a
significance to us afterwards, though, at the time, the only remark
made that bore upon the future was Amante's whisper to me that the
young lady's hair was exactly the colour of mine, which she had cut off
and burnt in the stove in the miller's kitchen in one of her descents
from our hiding-place in the loft.

As soon as we could, we struck round in the shadow, leaving the
boisterous and merry fellow-passengers to their supper. We crossed the
court, borrowed a lantern from the ostler, and scrambled up the rude
step to our chamber above the stable. There was no door into it; the
entrance was the hole into which the ladder fitted. The window looked
into the court. We were tired and soon fell asleep. I was wakened by a
noise in the stable below. One instant of listening, and I wakened
Amante, placing my hand on her mouth, to prevent any exclamation in her
half-roused state. We heard my husband speaking about his horse to the
ostler. It was his voice. I am sure of it. Amante said so too. We durst
not move to rise and satisfy ourselves. For five minutes or so he went
on giving directions. Then he left the stable, and, softly stealing to
our window, we saw him cross the court and re-enter the inn. We
consulted as to what we should do. We feared to excite remark or
suspicion by descending and leaving our chamber, or else immediate
escape was our strongest idea. Then the ostler left the stable, locking
the door on the outside.

'We must try and drop through the window--if, indeed, it is well to go
at all,' said Amante.

With reflection came wisdom. We should ex