Page:Marquis de Sade - Adelaide of Brunswick.djvu/86

 knight. "They seem to be honest young men. Let's not try to claim any gratitude."

The two knights started off again leaving the squire behind.

"Pitreman," said one of the knights, "take these two young men on the back of your horse to the first inn where you can be sure they will be in safety and then join us at the Golden Florin in Trier. If these two young men ask you questions about us, be as discreet as we are concerning who they are. The most profound mystery is one of the laws of the noble professions which we exercise."

The squire left with the two women and the two knights kept on their way. After having put them safely in an inn on the road to Frankfort, he bowed and left without telling them who their savior had been and he did not ask them their names.

All this intrigued our two travelers very much.

"How is it," asked Adelaide, "that these people come to take us prisoner after having given us our liberty? That happened when we left the tower, and then it happened again when we left this other place. If I were not sure of your father, I could not keep from suspecting him of some treason."

"Ah, Milady, my father could not do a thing like that."

"I know it, and so I am more confused than ever."

"I think I can explain it. You saw how careful my father was to have us move only when it was dark and to hide us in the hermit's hut, well our pursuit is the work of those who brought us to the place. As soon as they found that we had escaped they ran after us."

"That is certainly the simplest explanation. But tell me, what do you think of those two brave knights who have so generously snatched us from the hands of those who wanted to take us back. We owe them our lives."

"There is no doubt of it, Milady."

"If only our liberator had been the Marquis of Thuringia," said Adelaide, "how sweet it would be to unite in my heart the feeling of gratitude to that of the sincerest love. But why didn't they make themselves known? It seems to me, however, that the voice of the knight who spoke was one which I have heard before. I have heard it before, but it was so muffled in the helmet that I couldn't recognize it exactly. When one