Page:Marquis de Sade - Adelaide of Brunswick.djvu/72

 in the little boat to land. Then he walked with them along the path which had brought them from the main road. Once there, he left them after telling them to keep their disguises until they reached Frankfort.

They were already worn out, and so after some hours of walking when they reached a little inn, they were forced to stop. They were able to buy food and drink, and after resting a while, Adelaide said:

"Well, my dear friend, what is going to become of us in this costume? We are in as much danger as we were before. If they discover that we are women, we will be taken as tramps since we cannot reveal our true identity. Our trunks are lost. At least we still have a little money since Stolbach only took about half of our resources. Let's recommend ourselves to Providence since that is our only hope."

Just as they were going to leave the inn, a hermit came up to them:

"My children, I see that you are worn out with traveling. Come to my home, and you will find there peace, rest and safety."

"We are seeking neither help nor asylum," said the princess. "We are from Frankfort and some bandits have stolen our carriage, and all we want is an honest way to go back home."

"In that case," said the hermit, "you cannot be in a better place than at my house. It is near the main road to the city where you wish to go and I am sure you will be able to find the opportunity of getting a ride very soon."

"What do you think about it?" Adelaide whispered to her companion. "Perhaps he can help us. If we find him to be reliable, we can tell him our story. At least he can give us some advice."

The two travelers having accepted the offers of the hermit, all three started off on foot. It took two hours for them to reach their destination. It was a charming retreat situated on the edge of a limpid brook, and was about four hundred feet from the main road. The cabin was constructed of thatch, and was in a thicket of linden trees which gave it shade.

As soon as they were inside, the hermit gave them milk and figs.