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98 He smiled again. "Then do as I have suggested."

"Oh, what a mystery is all this;" she exclaimed, and left him.

"One word more, mademoiselle," he said, following her a couple of paces. "We are soldiers and accustomed to long watches and little sleep. One of us will be on the watch out here in the corridor for the night."

She made no reply; and Gerard, going back to Pascal, told him what he proposed: that they two should watch in turns through the night.

"I hope that rat will come stealing back," said Pascal. "If I don't pinch his throat for him, may my fingers forget the feel of a man's wizen;" and he agreed readily to take the first spell.

The rat did come back, more than once; but so cunningly and softly now, so warily and so keen of scent for the watchers, that neither Gerard nor Pascal knew of his coming; and in the morning both agreed that they had kept their vigil to no purpose. Could they have heard the report which Dauban gave to his master, however, they would have known otherwise.

De Proballe was ill at ease, indeed. He did not like the attitude which Gerard had adopted. He had looked for a pliant tool, afraid of his life; and he found instead, a man who showed independence and firmness, who had a will of his own, and who both said and did things that made against his plans.

For his purpose it was not by any means enough that Gerard should succeed in making a good impression on Gabrielle. That was right, so far as it went; but Gerard seemed to be captivated by her beauty; and that was altogether wrong. If there was to be love between them, the whole scheme might be jeopardised; and with it would go his own more daring and ambitious plans.

Were Gerard to marry Gabrielle and then turn against him, no one could foresee the consequences. The blunder