Clementina

on Wogan came to

o no further to-day with this letter in his pocket. Gaydon-the cautious Gaydon-would sleep in this town and in

ng the air with their wives and children; the chief highway of the town ran through it; on one side stood the frescoed Rathhaus, and opposite to it there was a spacious inn. W

d down the stairs. While he was unstrapping his valise in his bedroom, a servant wit

more confidence than ever, "here, to

recovered his spirits. He smoked a pipe of tobacco on a bench under the trees of the

window, so that no one could force an entrance without noise. Wogan accordingly did what Gaydon would assuredly have done, and when he blew out his candle found himself in consequence in utter darkness. No glimmer of light was anywhere visible. He had his habits like another, and one of them was to sleep

ased, and he was left in a silence as absolute as the darkness. He endured this silence for perhaps half an hour, and then all manner of infinitesimal sounds began to stir about him. The lightest of footsteps moved about his bed, faint sighs breathed from very close at hand,

d before the mortar's dry. Window shutters are window shutters, but they are the doors of Bedlam as well. Now Gaydon should have slept in this room. Gaydon's a great man. Gaydon

he door, and the door was at some distance from his bed, and in the wall on his right. He moved forward in the darkness with his hands in front of him, groping for the table. The room was large; in a little his hands touched something, and that something was a pillar of the bed. He had missed his way in his bedroom. Wogan laughed to himself and started off again; and

key was still in the lock. But there was no lock to this door. Wogan felt the surface of the door; it was of paper. It was plainly the door

ff, short crop of hair, the hair of a man's head. He drew his arm away as though an adder had stung it; he did not utter

he unexpected vigour of the attack, he clutched his enemy, and the two men came to the ground

grappled wildly for his throat. But all the time his strength grew less; he felt that his temples were swelling, and it seemed to him that his eyes must burst. The darkness of the room was spotted with sparks of fire; the air was filled with a continuous roar like a million chariots in a street. He sa

d him say in a low muffled voice, "It is nothi

, and the hand at Wogan's throat clutched once and fell away limp as an empty glove. Wogan sat up on the floor and drew his breath. That, after all, was more than his antagonist was doing. The knocking at the door continued; Wogan could not answer it, he had not the strength. His limbs were shaking

understand them, for his ears still buzzed. He saw their startled faces, but only dimly, for he was dazzled by the light. He came back into the room, and pointing

eated the landlord

d Wogan, leaning a

r servant. Who

nsidering as well as his rambling

me here with me?" "Yes,

speaking with sincerity. Wogan reflected that to proffer a char

isely what I mean." His wits were at work to find a way out of h

nderstand," sa

there ever such a landlord? He does not un

sir, b

el

re was a noise-a no

, "if you had prepared a bed for my servant. He would not

, there w

I been driven to beat him and to lose my night's rest in consequenc

at the landlord was soon apologising for having disturbed

y the fellow

"He shall get back into his cupboard and ther

escape for him since there were three men between him and the door. On the ot

His head no doubt was still spinning from the

k to the door,"

hair. The fellow will do very well till the morning. But I will t

In the morning he made his valet walk three miles by his horse's side. The man dared not disobey, and whe

and he suddenly hit upon the explanation. "It was that night," said he to himself, "when the Prince sat by the Countess with the list of my friends in his hands. The names were all erased but

there, since there the Duke of Würtemberg held his court, and in that court the Countess of Berg was very likely to have f

. Wogan stopped at the tavern. It promised no particular comfort, it was a small dilapidated house; but it had the advantage that it was free from new paint. It seemed to Wogan, however, wellnigh useless to take precautions in the choice of a lodging; danger leaped at him from eve

p here?" excla

vents lie in bed

amp and led the way up

," said he; "the

er them

ight from you, but there is no

I do not like to be j

open a door at th

garret," he s

no cupboards it w

o not like

h envy of those who have

was a key, too, in the lock, and a chest of drawers wh

said Wogan, laying do

small," continu

ndow. It was a good height from the ground; there was no stanchion or projection in the wall, and it seemed impossible that a man

id it to himself, "here's

e in the road below, but he heard the footsteps diminishing into a faint patter. The

business, but this was the last night before Wogan would reach his friends. Stuttgart was only three miles away. He could take no risks, and so he must stay awake with his sword upon his knees.

said he, "for I

ency sup here?" a

o had it in his mind to spy out the land. "

e of execrable wine. While he ate a man came in and sat him down by the fire. T

running," said

ing; besides it helps me to pay with patience the price

y the fire chatted together as though much absorbed

trade," said Woga

brings m

airs. The four men gave no sign of any common agreement, nor were they at all curious as to Wogan. If they spoke at all, they spoke as strangers speak. But while Wogan was smoking his first pipe a fifth man entered, and he just gave one quick glance at Wogan. Wogan behind a cloud of tobacco-smoke saw the movement of the head and detected the look. It might signify nothing but curiosity, of course, but Wog

aughed quietly to himself with a little thrill of enjoyment. His fatigue had vanished. He was on the point of getting up from the table when the two me

exclamation, he did not even look up, but bending his head over his pipe he thought over the disposition of the room. The fireplace was on his right; the door was opposite to him; the window in the wall at his left. The window was high from the ground and at some distance. On the o

h of his arm and the weight of him-these things I need-but are there five or only four?" And he was at once aware that the two men at the fire had ceased to talk of their business. No one, indeed, was speaking at all, and n

bowl. He loosened it, and when he had loosened it the pipe had gone out. He fumbled in his pocket and discovered in the breast of his coat a letter. This letter he

ding the burning spill in his right hand, pressed down the tobacco with the little finger of his left, and lighted the pipe again. By this time his spill had burned down to his fingers. He dropped the end into the fire and walked back to his seat. The five

breath into the room, crossed the floor and leaning over the table said with a smile a

ied Wogan, "am

is voice became wheedling in its suavity. "I thin

rk," said Wogan, "argues ce

o become l

hich has pushed many m

an hel

at your dispos

and he added in a tone of apo

an thrust the table a little away from him to

money. You have a let

n sm

ir, you a

atement aside. "A letter fr

ute ago, but I lit my pipe

back; his four companio

au cried out with an

is shoulders and

he. "A damned rag of a lacke

e polite man, coming round the table.

's right arm swung upwards from behind his back with a gleaming pistol in the hand. Wogan was prepared for him; he had crossed his legs to be prepared, and as the arm came round he kicked upwards from the knee. The toe of his heavy boot caught the man upon t

rushed at him, and lifting the coat up off his shoulders violently jammed it backwards down his arms as though he would strip him of it. The lackey stood with his

ng round with the force of the blow and then hopped twice in a horrible fashion with his feet togeth

the leader and pinned his foot. His companion drew back; he himself uttered a cry and wrenched at his foot. Wogan with his left hand drew his sword from the scabbard, and with the same movement passed it through his opponent's body. The man stood swaying, pinned there by his foot and held erect. Then he made one desperate lunge, fell forward across the barricade, and hung there. Wogan parried the lunge; the sword fell from the man's hand and clattered onto the flo

dge as well as in the possession of the weapon. He had a fencer's suppleness of wrist and balance of body; he pressed Wogan hard

he saw his first polite antagonist cross to the table and pick up from the ground the broken sword. One small consolation Wogan had; the fellow picked it up with his left hand, his right elbow w

and slashed at the man upon his right. But the stroke was wide of its mark, and the big man struck at the sword with his stick, struck with all his might, so tha

y of delight. Woga

e felt behind him with his left hand for the knob of the door. He fired at the swordsman and his pistol missed, he flung it at the

panel and bit like a searing iron into his shoulder. Wogan uttered a cry; he heard an answering shout in the room, he clung to t

ke again. Wogan seized the wrist which held the knife, grappled with the innkeeper, and caught him about the body. The door of the room, now behind him, was flung violently open. Wogan, who was wrought to a frenzy, lifted up the man he wrestl

he saw his most dangerous enemy strivi

ettily, but I am the better man at cock-shies." And shu

g his breath, dizzy. He stumbled again and fell, but as he fell he struck against the sharp corner of the wall. If he could find an entrance into the garden beyond that wall! He turned off the road to the left and ran across a field, keeping close along the side of the wall. He came to another corner and turned to the right. As he turned he heard voices in the road. The pursuers had stopped and were searching with the lantern for traces of his passage. He ran along the back of the wall, feeling for a projection, a tree, anything which would enable him to climb i

an to consider. He reached a hand out in front of him and touched the wall; he reached out a hand to

. This wall, he reflected, could not be more than twelve feet high.

o the angle of the wall, stretched out his arms on each side, pressing with his elbows and hands, and then bending his knees crossed his legs tailor fashion, and set the soles of his stockinged feet firmly against the bricks on each side. He was thus seated as it were upon nothing, but retaining his position by the pressure of his arms and

held aloft, now close to the ground. Wogan was very glad he had thrown his boots and coat into the garden. He made a few last despe

would not have exchanged them at that moment for the Emperor's own bed. He lay upon his back and saw the dark branches above his head grow bright and green. His pursuers were flashing their lantern on the other side; there was o