One o'Clock in the MorningThe garden was extremely large, laid out with perfect taste just afew years previously. But the trees were over a century old. Theplace had something rustic about it.

　　MASSINGER 14He was on the point of countermanding his instructions to Fouquewhen the clock struck eleven. He came out of his bedroom and shut thedoor behind him, turning the key noisily in the lock, as though he werelocking himself in. He prowled round the house to see what was afooteverywhere, especially on the fourth floor, where the servants slept.

　　There was nothing unusual. One of Madame de La Mole's maids wasgiving a party, the servants were merrily imbibing punch. 'The men whoare laughing like that,' thought Julien, 'cannot have been detailed for themidnight encounter, they would be more serious.'

　　Finally he took his stand in a dark corner of the garden. 'If their plan isto avoid the notice of the servants of the house, they will make the menthey have hired to seize me come in over the garden wall.

　　'If M. de Croisenois is taking all this calmly, he must feel that it will beless compromising for the young person whom he intends to marry tohave me seized before the moment when I shall have entered her room.'

　　He made an extremely careful military reconnaissance. 'My honour isat stake,' he thought; 'if I make some blunder, it will be no excuse in myown eyes to say to myself: "I never thought of that."'

　　The sky was maddeningly clear. About eleven o'clock the moon rose,at half-past twelve it lighted the whole garden front of the house.

　　14.I have left this motto untranslated, as the attribution to Massinger seems to be entirely fantastic. C. K. S. M.

　　 'She is mad,' Julien said to himself; when one o'clock struck, there wasstill a light in Comte Norbert's windows. Never in his life had Julienbeen so much afraid, he saw only the dangers of the enterprise, and feltnot the least enthusiasm.

　　He went to fetch the huge ladder, waited five minutes, to allow timefor a countermand, and at five minutes past one placed the ladderagainst Mathilde's window. He climbed quietly, pistol in hand, astonished not to find himself attacked. As he reached the window, sheopened it silently:

　　'Here you are, Sir,' Mathilde said to him with deep emotion; 'I havebeen following your movements for the last hour.'

　　Julien was greatly embarrassed, he did not know how to behave, hedid not feel the least vestige of love. In his embarrassment, he decidedthat he must show courage, he attempted to embrace Mathilde.

　　'Fie, Sir!' she said, and thrust him from her.

　　Greatly relieved at this repulse, he hastened to cast an eye round theroom: the moonlight was so brilliant that the shadows which it formed inMademoiselle de La Mole's room were black. 'There may easily be menconcealed there without my seeing them,' he thought.

　　'What have you in the side pocket of your coat?' Mathilde asked him,delighted at finding a topic of conversation. She was strangely ill at ease;all the feelings of reserve and timidity, so natural to a young girl of goodfamily, had resumed their sway and were keeping her on tenter-hooks.

　　'I have all sorts of weapons and pistols,' replied Julien, no less pleasedat having something to say.

　　'You must pull up the ladder,' said Mathilde.

　　'It is huge, and may break the windows of the room below, or of themezzanine.'

　　'It must not break the windows,' Mathilde went on, trying in vain toadopt the tone of ordinary conversation; 'you might, it seems to me, letthe ladder down by means of a cord tied to the top rung. I always keep asupply of cords by me.'

　　'And this is a woman in love!' thought Julien, 'she dares to say that sheloves! Such coolness, such sagacity in her precautions make it plain tome that I am not triumphing over M. de Croisenois, as I foolishly imagined; but am simply becoming his successor. After all, what does it matter? I am not in love! I triumph over the Marquis in this sense, that hewill be greatly annoyed at having a successor, and still more annoyed that his successor should be myself. How arrogantly he stared at me lastnight in the Cafe Tortoni, pretending not to know me! How savagely hebowed to me afterwards, when he could no longer avoid it!'

　　Julien had fastened the cord to the highest rung of the ladder, he nowlet it down gently, leaning far out over the balcony so as to see that it didnot touch the windows. 'A fine moment for killing me,' he thought, 'ifthere is anyone hidden in Mathilde's room'; but a profound silence continued to reign everywhere.

　　The head of the ladder touched the ground. Julien succeeded in concealing it in the bed of exotic flowers that ran beneath the wall.

　　'What will my mother say,' said Mathilde, 'when she sees her beautifulplants all ruined! You must throw down the cord,' she went on, with perfect calm. 'If it were seen running up to the balcony, it would be difficultto explain its presence.'

　　'And how me gwine get way?' asked Julien, in a playful tone, imitatingCreole speech. (One of the maids in the house was a native of SanDomingo.)'You get way by the door,' said Mathilde, delighted at this solution.

　　'Ah! How worthy this man is of all my love,' she thought.

　　Julien had just let the cord drop into the garden; Mathilde gripped himby the arm. He thought he was being seized by an enemy, and turnedsharply round drawing a dagger. She thought she had heard a windowbeing opened. They stood motionless, without breathing. The moonshone full upon them. As the sound was not repeated, there was no further cause for alarm.

　　Then their embarrassment began again, and was great on both sides.

　　Julien made sure that the door was fastened with all its bolts; he eventhought of looking under the bed, but dared not; they might have hiddena footman or two there. Finally, the fear of a subsequent reproach fromhis prudence made him look.

　　Mathilde had succumbed to all the agonies of extreme shyness. Shefelt a horror of her position.

　　'What have you done with my letters?' she said, at length.

　　'What a fine opportunity to discomfit these gentlemen, if they arelistening, and so avoid the conflict!' thought Julien.

　　'The first is hidden in a stout Protestant Bible which last night's mailhas carried far from here.'

　　 He spoke very distinctly as he entered into these details, and in such away as to be overheard by anyone who might be concealed in two greatmahogany wardrobes which he had not dared to examine.

　　'The other two are in the post, and are going the same way as the first.'

　　'Good Lord! But why all............