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300 "Do you rate yourself on the same footing with them?"

"In your eyes, do you mean?"

"They are canaille, Monsieur Pascal."

"Some fishermen are so keen at the sport that when they can't hook the trout they are glad to take the minnows."

"And some minnows are so self-ignorant they do not know they are not salmon," she retorted, with a flash of the eyes.

"A fair hit, mademoiselle. Shall we cry a truce?"

"I came to ask what has been decided?"

"Babillon has been here"—and he told her what had passed.

"Ah, you soldiers always want to be killing something or somebody," she answered. "Gabrielle is right. She is always right. She will be able to escape to this hiding place at any moment and can lie hid in safety till the storm passes. Men never think a woman can be right except when she says ditto to what they may decide."

"Until I met you I may have held to some such heresy. But did we not cry a truce? I am waving the white flag of surrender."

"You are very provoking, Monsieur Pascal."

"And you are very charming, Mademoiselle Lucette."

At this moment a soldier came hurrying to them.

"Another messenger has arrived from the Castle, Lieutenant. We managed to mislead him long enough to get him to deliver his message. He reports that the hunt for the fugitives at Crevasse has proved fruitless; the men have returned from there to the Castle empty-handed and he was despatched at once to ascertain whether anything had been seen of them here."

"Well?"

"We were sending him back with a message that all was quiet here when his suspicions were aroused and we had to detain him like the rest."