Page:Marquis de Sade - Adelaide of Brunswick.djvu/58

 in this moment, believe me, Bathilda, our surest plan is to leave Saxony until the storm is over. We will come back when things are more propitious."

Once the princess had made up her mind, she quickly made arrangements to leave with a carriage which was going in the direction of Frankfort, which seemed to be the safest place to go.

After a long day of travel, the two women spent the first night at Marburg, at the foot of the mountains which separate Hess from Franconia. The difficulty of crossing these mountains the next day, in a country where there were not yet any roads, caused the princess and Bathilda to spend the night in a rough inn where the driver of the carriage was also going to sleep.

While they were eating, before retiring for the night, a nice looking gentleman approached them.

"Miladies," he said, "you are going towards Frankfort tomorrow, without doubt. I am also going to take the same road, and as it is dangerous and you are alone, I ask your permission to escort you and to procure for you all the help you need and which may contribute to the safety of your trip."

Bathilda, judging other people by the goodness of her own soul and not imagining that one could be otherwise, accepted the offers of the unknown in the name of her mistress.

Adelaide, however, was not so enthusiastic about the offer.

"My child," she said, "I fear that you have accepted the offers of that man without reflecting enough. If I am not mistaken, he has been a soldier in Saxony, and I am quite sure I have seen that face in the citadel of Torgau during my stay there."

"I am sure I have too."

"Well, why did you accept his offer?"

"I was not sure I had seen him then; but now that you have mentioned seeing him, I am sure of it now."

"How can we get rid of him?"

"That is impossible; he would become even more to be feared, if he is really dangerous. Moreover," continued Bathilda, "I have never seen him do anything suspicious. Nothing prevents his offers from being kind, and as he doubtless has no other idea than to receive some money for his services, let's