of oats and been resaddled and bridled. The young man had only to ask for it and spring upon its back. He was no sooner in the saddle

about a mile and a half, and halted near a group of houses now called the Maison des Gardes. One of these houses bore for sign a cluster of holly, which indicated one of those wayside halting places where the pedestrians quench their thirst, and rest for an instant to recover strength before continuing the long fatiguing voyage of life. Morgan stopped at the door, drew a pistol from its holster and rapped with the butt

said the young man;

es. I'm not afraid now; but you know, as the curé used to tell us, in

iece of silver into the stable boy's hand, "but be e

o see that there is no one left on high by the way

id of all that annoys you. I am no less impatient than

d. As for the horse-Goodness! You change them every day? The time befor

need only remove his bridle; leave him saddled. Oh, wait; put this pistol back in the holsters and take care

he latter, laughing

t, they say the

egular highway robberies, M. Charles. Why, no later than last wee

gan; "and whom do they

panions of Jesus. I don't believe a word of it, of course.

h his eternally joyous smile,

robbing a diligence, that's the limit. Oh! I tell you, M. Ch

disgusted, if not with life, at least wit

he darkness of the night, with the majesty of things immovable, the while their shadows fell upon a charming little country house known in the neighborhood as the Chateau des Noires-Fontaines. As Morgan reached the chateau wall, the hour

y of lightning, he lowered himself on the other side. All this was done with such rapidity, such dexterity and agility, that any one chancing to pass at that instant would have thought himself the puppet of a vision. Morgan stopped, as on the other side of the wall, to listen, while his eyes tried to pierce the darkness made deeper by the foliage of pop

at the corner of the house. A little balcony, covered with virgin vines which climbed the walls, twining themselves around the iron railing and falling thence in festoons from the window, overhung the garden. On both sides of the windows, close to the balcony, large-leafe

nd led to the house. He turned aside and entered its dark leafy covert. When he had reached the end of the path, he crossed, like a frightened doe, the open space which l

d of the apartment and clung, lithe, gra

ind was raised, and a ravishing young girl, in a night dress, her fai

s were stretched out to him, and two names, or rather

arl

éli

the vine shoots, the jagged edges of the rock, the j

ng man drew the girl with one hand to her chamber, while with the other he loosened the cords of the blind, which fell noisily behind them.

s heard along the road leading from the highway of Pont-d'Ain to the entrance of the chate