Francois soon came with the ladder, which he placed in a dark corner of a pa.s.sage, and, ascending, opened a trapdoor, and urged the party to mount without delay. Oliver went up first. Jack was able to get up without a.s.sistance. Le Duc was unwilling to go until the old lady seized him by the arm.
"Go up, my son, go up," she said. "You will not be worse off than the rest."
He at length unwillingly obeyed.
As soon as Rayner got up, by Francois" directions he shut down the trapdoor. There was just light sufficient, through a pane of gla.s.s in the roof, to see that the loft extended over a considerable portion of the building. Part only was covered with boards, on which, according to the instructions given them, they laid down. Francois had charged them on no account to move about, lest they should be heard by the people below. The planks, however, were not placed very close together, and after they had been there a minute or so, Rayner discovered a glimmer of light coming through a broadish c.h.i.n.k.
Putting his face near it, he perceived that the old lady and her daughters had seated themselves at a table with their work before them, endeavouring to look as unconcerned as possible.
He had not been in this position many minutes, when he heard some heavy steps coming along the pa.s.sage; they entered the room, and a gruff voice demanded if any Englishmen had been, or still were, in the house.
The old lady started to her feet with an exclamation of well-feigned astonishment.
"What can monsieur mean?" she asked. "Englishmen in my house! Where can they have come from? My character is well known as a true patriot.
The enemies of France are my enemies. Pray explain yourself more clearly."
On this the sergeant of gendarmes began to apologise in more courteous language than he had at first used, explaining why he had been sent to look for the Englishmen who, it had been ascertained, were in that part of the country.
"Suppose you find them, what would you do with them?" asked Madame La Roche.
"No doubt send them to prison. They are enemies of France, and it would not be wise when we can catch them to allow such to wander at large and commit mischief."
"Very true, very true, Monsieur Sergeant," said the old lady. "But that does not excuse you for accusing me of harbouring them, and coming to my house as if I were a traitress."
The sergeant, however, was evidently persuaded, notwithstanding Madame La Roche"s evasion, that the fugitives had been at the house, if they were not there still, and he insisted, with due respect to her, that it was his duty to make a thorough search.
"As you desire it, pray obey your orders," said Madame La Roche. "My maitre d"hotel will show you round the house and outbuildings, and wherever you wish to go. You must excuse me on account of my age, as also my daughters from their youth and delicate nerves from accompanying you."
The sergeant bowed, and said something with a laugh which Rayner did not hear, and the old lady, calling Francois, bade him conduct the sergeant and his gendarmes through the house. "And take care that he looks into every corner, under the beds and in them, if he likes, so that he may be thoroughly satisfied," she added.
"Oui, madame," answered Francois with perfect gravity. "Come along, Monsieur Sergeant. If you do not find these Englishmen of whom you speak, do not blame me."
Rayner heard them retire from the room. He now began to breathe more freely, hoping, for the sake especially of Madame La Roche, that the sergeant would be satisfied when they were not found in the house.
The ladies went on working and talking as if nothing were happening, though their countenances betrayed their anxiety. The gendarmes had been absent a sufficient time to make a thorough search through the whole of the building when Rayner heard them coming back. Suddenly the sergeant stopped, and asked, in a loud voice, "What is the object of this ladder, my friend?"
"To reach the roof from the verandah, or to enable the inmates to descend should the house be on fire," answered Francois, promptly.
"The roof everywhere overlaps the verandah," answered the sergeant, "and no ladder is necessary to get out of these windows to the ground. It appears to me of a length suited to reach the ceiling. Come, show me any trapdoor through which I can reach the loft over the rooms. You forgot, my friend, that part of the house."
"A trapdoor in the ceiling! What a strange thought of yours!" exclaimed Francois. "However, perhaps you will find it, should one exist, that you may be satisfied on that point, and let one of your men take the ladder, for I am old, and it would fatigue me to carry it."
One of the gendarmes took up the ladder, and he could be heard knocking at the ceiling in various directions. Still Rayner hoped that they would not discover the dark corner, which Francois evidently had no intention to show them.
"It must be found somewhere or other," he heard the sergeant say. "This ladder is exactly suited to reach it."
At last he entered the room where the ladies were seated.
"Will madame have the goodness to tell me whereabouts the trapdoor is that leads to the roof?" he asked.
"The trapdoor leading to the roof!" repeated Madame La Roche. "It is not likely that an old woman, as I am, would have scrambled up there, or my delicate daughters either. Surely, Monsieur Sergeant, you are laughing at me."
The sergeant turned away, but presently one of the men exclaimed, "I have found it! I have found it--here, up in this corner!"
Rayner heard the men ascending, the trap was lifted, but he and his companions lay perfectly still, hoping that in the darkness they might not be perceived.
But the gendarme, after waiting a few seconds to accustom his eyes to the dim light, began groping about until he caught hold of Tom"s leg.
Tom, dreadfully frightened, cried out in English, "Oh, dear; he"s got me!"
"Come down, messieurs, come down!" exclaimed the sergeant. "Oh, Madame La Roche, you would have deceived me."
Rayner and his companions were compelled to descend. He truly felt more for his kind hostess and her daughters than he did for himself. They might be heavily fined, if not more severely punished. He and his companions had only to look forward to a prison, from which they might escape.
With the exception of Le Duc they were all soon collected in the room below. He had managed by some means to escape detection. They were allowed but a short time to take leave of Madame La Roche and her daughters. The sergeant having received no orders respecting the ladies, and satisfied at having secured his prisoners, seemed disposed to allow the former to remain unmolested. They looked very melancholy, however. The young ladies, as they shook hands, burst into tears. In vain Madame La Roche begged that their guests might be allowed to partake of some refreshment before commencing their journey. The sergeant would not hear of it. He had caught the spies, and he intended to keep them. If he allowed them to remain, some trick might be played, and they might make their escape.
He at once, therefore, ordered his men to lead his prisoners to the courtyard of the house.
"Hands off; I won"t be manacled by a French jackanapes," cried Brown, turning round as one of the men seized his arm. "We are five to seven, mayn"t we knock the fellows over, sir? We could do it easily enough, and get off before they came to themselves again."
"I"ll join you with all my heart," said Jack, "though I can"t fight as well as I could before my ribs were stove in."
"I"ll tackle one of the fellows if I may take the smallest," said Tom, though he looked rather pale at the thought of the impending struggle.
"What do you advise, Rayner?" asked Oliver.
"I can advise no violence," said Rayner. "We may succeed in mastering the Frenchmen, but if we did, the kind old lady here and her daughters would certainly suffer in consequence. We must submit with a good grace, and we may possibly afterwards have an opportunity of making our escape without fighting."
Though the Frenchmen did not understand what was said, they evidently, from the looks of the seamen, suspected their intentions, and drawing their pistols presented them at the heads of their prisoners.
The ladies shrieked, fancying they were about to fire, and Tom turned pale.
"Pray don"t be alarmed," said Rayner. "We yield to the sergeant, and before we go I wish, in the name of my companions and myself, to express to you the deep grat.i.tude we feel for your kindness. Farewell!"
He and Oliver kissed their hands, and the sergeant made significant signs to them to go through the doorway.
"Have I the word of you two officers and your men that you will commit no violence?" he asked. "If you refuse it, I shall be under the necessity of binding your arms behind you."
"What shall I say, Oliver?" asked Rayner. "If we give the promise we lose the chance of attempting to make our escape; but then again, if our arms are bound no opportunity can occur."
"Say then that we will attempt no violence, and submit to any directions he may give us," answered Oliver.
Rayner spoke as Oliver advised, and the sergeant appeared satisfied, as he imposed no other promise.
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.
IN PRISON, AND OUT AGAIN.