Count Hannibal

To do Tignonville justice, he was not of these. On the contrary, he

seemed to be in a better temper on this day and, where so many took

things unheroically, he showed to advantage. Avoiding the Countess and

riding with Carlat, he talked and laughed with marked cheerfulness; nor

did he ever fail, when the mist rose, to note this or that landmark, and

confirm Badelon in the way he was going.

"We shall be at Lege by noon!" he cried more than once, "and if M. le

Comte persists in his plan, may reach Vrillac by late sunset. By way of

Challans!"

And always Carlat answered, "Ay, by Challans, Monsieur, so be it!"

He proved, too, so far right in his prediction that noon saw them drag, a

weary train, into the hamlet of Lege, where the road from Nantes to

Olonne runs southward over the level of Poitou. An hour later Count

Hannibal rode in with six of his eight men, and, after a few minutes'

parley with Badelon, who was scanning the horses, he called Carlat to

him. The old man came.

"Can we reach Vrillac to-night?" Count Hannibal asked curtly.

"By Challans, my lord," the steward answered, "I think we can. We call

it seven hours' riding from here."

"And that route is the shortest?"

"In time, M. le Comte, the road being better."

Count Hannibal bent his brows. "And the other way?" he said.

"Is by Commequiers, my lord. It is shorter in distance."

"By how much?"

"Two leagues. But there are fordings and a salt marsh; and with Madame

and the women--"

"It would be longer?"

The steward hesitated. "I think so," he said slowly, his eyes wandering

to the grey misty landscape, against which the poor hovels of the village

stood out naked and comfortless. A low thicket of oaks sheltered the

place from south-westerly gales. On the other three sides it lay open.

"Very good," Tavannes said curtly. "Be ready to start in ten minutes.

You will guide us."

But when the ten minutes had elapsed and the party were ready to start,

to the astonishment of all the steward was not to be found. To

peremptory calls for him no answer came; and a hurried search through the

hamlet proved equally fruitless. The only person who had seen him since

his interview with Tavannes turned out to be M. de Tignonville; and he

had seen him mount his horse five minutes before, and move off--as he

believed--by the Challans road.

"Ahead of us?"

"Yes, M. le Comte," Tignonville answered, shading his eyes and gazing in

the direction of the fringe of trees. "I did not see him take the road,

but he was beside the north end of the wood when I saw him last.

Thereabouts!" and he pointed to a place where the Challans road wound

round the flank of the wood. "When we are beyond that point, I think we

shall see him."