for his chance. His companion observed,
with a little vexation, with more admiration, that he seemed to have
become unconscious of her presence, or, at best, to consider her only
as a responsibility.

The besiegers spoke no more in tones audible within the hut. Putting
eye and ear alternately to the crevice between door and door-post,
Dieppe saw the lantern's light and heard the crackle of paper. Then he
just caught, or seemed to catch, the one word, said in a tone of
finality, "Five!" Then came more crackling. Next a strange, sudden
circle of light revolved before the Captain's eye; and then there was
light no more. The lantern had been lifted, swung round in the air,
and flung away. Swift to draw the only inference, Dieppe turned his
head. As he did so there rang out a loud oath in Guillaume's voice; it
was followed by an odd, dull thud.

"Quick, behind the trusses!" whispered Dieppe. "I 'm going out."

Without a word she obeyed him, and in a moment was well hidden. For an
instant more Dieppe listened. Then he hurled the wooden block away,
its weight, so great before, seemed nothing to him now in his
excitement. The crack of a shot came from outside. Pulling the door
violently back, Dieppe rushed out. Two or three paces up the slope
stood Guillaume, his back to the hut, his arm still levelled at a
figure which had just topped the summit of the eminence, and an instant
later disappeared. Hearing Dieppe's rush, Guillaume turned, crying in
uncontrollable agitation, "He 's robbed me, robbed me, robbed me!"
Then he suddenly put both his hands up to his brow, clutching it tight
as though he were in great pain, and, reeling and stumbling, at last
fell and rolled down to the bottom of the hollow. For an instant the
Captain hesitated. But Guillaume lay very still; and Guillaume had no
quarrel with the Countess. His indecision soon ended, Dieppe ran, as
if for his life, up the slope to the top of the hill. He disappeared;
all was left dark and quiet at the hut; Guillaume did not stir, the
lady did not stir; only the door, released from its confinement, began
to flap idly to and fro again.

The Captain gained the summit, hardly conscious that one of those
sudden changes of weather so common in hilly countries had passed over
the landscape. The mist was gone, rain fell no more, a sharp, clean
breeze blew, the stars began to shine, and the moon rose bright. It
was as though a curtain had been lifted. Diep