Count Hannibal

"At Vrillac!" she cried. "In my house, Monsieur!"

He was silent a moment. Then, "Your house, Madame? In which direction

is it, from here?"

"Westwards," she answered impulsively, her voice quivering with eagerness

and emotion and hope. "Westwards, Monsieur--on the sea. The causeway

from the land is long, and ten can hold it against ten hundred."

"Westwards? And how far westwards?"

Tignonville answered for her; in his tone throbbed the same eagerness,

the same anxiety, which spoke in hers. Nor was Count Hannibal's ear deaf

to it.

"Through Challans," he said, "thirteen leagues."

"From Clisson?"

"Yes, Monsieur le Comte."

"And by Commequiers less," the Countess cried.

"No, it is a worse road," Tignonville answered quickly; "and longer in

time."

"But we came--"

"At our leisure, Madame. The road is by Challans, if we wish to be there

quickly."

"Ah!" Count Hannibal said. In the darkness it was impossible to see his

face or mark how he took it. "But being there, I have few men."

"I have forty will come at call," she cried with pride. "A word to them,

and in four hours or a little more--"

"They would outnumber mine by four to one," Count Hannibal answered

coldly, dryly, in a voice like ice-water flung in their faces. "Thank

you, Madame; I understand. To Vrillac is no long ride; but we will not

ride it at present." And he turned sharply on his heel and strode from

them.

He had not covered thirty paces before she overtook him in the middle of

a broad patch of moonlight, and touched his arm. He wheeled swiftly, his

hand halfway to his hilt. Then he saw who it was.

"Ah," he said, "I had forgotten, Madame. You have come--"

"No!" she cried passionately; and standing before him she shook back the

hood of her cloak that he might look into her eyes. "You owe me no blow

to-day. You have paid me, Monsieur. You have struck me already, and

foully, like a coward. Do you remember," she continued rapidly, "the

hour after our marriage, and what you said to me? Do you remember what

you told me? And whom to trust and whom to suspect, where lay our

interest and where our foes'? You trusted me then! What have I done

that you now dare--ay, dare, Monsieur," she repeated fearlessly, her face

pale and her eyes glittering with excitement, "to insult me? That you

treat me as--Javette? That you deem me capable of that? Of luring you

into a trap, and in my own house, or the house that was mine, of--"

"Treating me as I have treated others."

"You have said it!" she cried. She could not herself understand why his

distrust had wounded her so sharply, so home, that all fear of him was

gone. "You have said it, and put that between us which will not be

removed. I could have forgiven blows," she continued, breathless in her

excitement, "so you had thought me what I am. But now you will do well

to watch me! You will do well to leave Vrillac on one side. For were

you there, and raised your hand against me--not that that touches me, but

it will do--and there are those, I tell you, would fling you from the

tower at my word."