a bartizan wall, which gave an outlook
between high houses, as out of an embrasure, into the valley lying dark
and formless several hundred feet below. Denis looked down, and could
discern a few tree-tops waving and a single speck of brightness where
the river ran across a weir. The weather was clearing up, and the sky
had lightened, so as to show the outline of the heavier clouds and the
dark margin of the hills. By the uncertain glimmer, the house on his
left hand should be a place of some pretensions; it was surmounted by
several pinnacles and turret-tops; the round stern of a chapel, with a
fringe of flying buttresses, projected boldly from the main block; and
the door was sheltered under a deep porch carved with figures and
overhung by two long gargoyles. The windows of the chapel gleamed
through their intricate tracery with a light as of many tapers, and
threw out the buttresses and the peaked roof in a more intense blackness
against the sky. It was plainly the hotel of some great family of the
neighbourhood; and as it reminded Denis of a town-house of his own at
Bourges, he stood for some time gazing up at it and mentally gauging the
skill of the architects and the consideration of the two families.

There seemed to be no issue to the terrace but the lane by which he had
reached it; he could only retrace his steps, but he had gained some
notion of his whereabouts, and hoped by this means to hit the main
thoroughfare and speedily regain the inn. He was reckoning without that
chapter of accidents which was to make this night memorable above all
others in his career; for he had not gone back above a hundred yards
before he saw a light coming to meet him, and heard loud voices speaking
together in the echoing narrows of the lane. It was a party of
men-at-arms going the night-round with torches. Denis assured himself
that they had all been making free with the wine-bowl, and were in no
mood to be particular about safe-conducts or the niceties of chivalrous
war. It was as like as not that they would kill him like a dog and leave
him where he fell. The situation was inspiriting, but nervous. Their own
torches would conceal him from sight, he reflected; and he hoped that
they would drown the noise of his footsteps with their own empty
voices. If he were but fleet and silent, he might evade their notice
altogether.

Unfortunately, as he turned to beat a retreat, his foot rolled upon a
pebble; he fell against the wall wit