“At least a body of peasants passed over the spot where they had stopped. Perhaps they were not seen.”
I breathed again.
“And they will come this way?”
“They must, if they keep to the cover of the woods.”
“They will, of course, do that,” I said, and strained my eyes down each of the valleys in turn.
Our position commanded a considerable view of the surrounding country, but the château was hidden by a low spur of hill which ran down into the valley at our left. I fancied I could still see in the sky the reflection of the light from the burning tower, but a moment later I saw it was the sun just peeping over the trees to the east.
Then I began to chafe at the delay, for it seemed to me that we were wasting time. I glanced at my companion and found that apparently he had totally forgotten me.
“Pasdeloup,” I said at last, “are you quite sure that M. le Comte must pass this hill?”
He looked up with a start and a frown.
“Yes,” he answered harshly; and I saw that he himself was disturbed by the delay. “To north and south are only open fields where people are working, and many houses. He could not hope to pass that way unseen, especially with the women. He will know this. He will know that he must follow this valley to the west. In this way he can keep to the shelter of the hills until he reaches the valley of the Dive. Beyond that is the Bocage.”