“Yes, we’d better go to the house,” said Dauban, secretly rejoicing at the interruption.
“Go you on with mademoiselle, then,” said the soldier, “and do you come with me, monsieur,” and at a sign from him three of the men closed round Antoine, and made it perfectly clear that they meant to use force if necessary.
At that moment Lucette turned and smiled.
“You would have used me as a decoy, monsieur? Come then to the house and we will see how it can be best done.”
With a great oath in his mortification and bewilderment, he sheathed his sword and seeing resistance was useless, marched on between the soldiers.
CHAPTER XXIV
SUSPENSE
JACQUES DAUBAN, in his pleasure at escaping from Antoine’s very angry threats, hurried forward to the house with Lucette, unsuspiciously, and said little beyond a word or two of rebuke for her disclosure of their mutual plan.
“You should not have said anything. It may increase the difficulty of getting rid of him.”
“But I would not have him think he could use me as a decoy.”
“It would have been safer to have told him afterwards.”