Some further conversation then ensued, and time passed on, till Mabel became anxious concerning the return of Lieutenant Thornton. It was getting late when Julia beheld Joseph galloping the pony up the avenue leading to the back of the château.
“There is Joseph, and seemingly in a hurry,” she exclaimed, running out to hear the news, her father and Julian hastily following. The boy had just dismounted in the yard; his face was flushed, and his manner quite excited.
“Well, boy,” asked Monsieur Plessis, “did you see Monsieur de Tourville?”
“Oui, monsieur, I did,” said the lad; “but I arrived near the head only time enough to behold a party of the coast-guard running down the side; getting off the pony, I hastened to the edge of the cliff, to see what the men were running after, and then, all of a sudden I heard a cannon, and then musket shots, and by the time I got to a place to see what was going on, the coast-guard were running away, dragging a wounded man with them; and below, I saw a boat with several persons in it, and I recognised Monsieur de Tourville’s man; and off at sea, about a mile, I saw a large ship. I watched the boat, and saw them pull out to the ship, and then, as I could see or do nothing more, I returned to you as fast as I could.”
Julian Arden and Julia had listened to this account of the lad with both surprise and alarm; and then the latter ran to let Mabel and Madame Coulancourt know that, at all events, Lieutenant Thornton and Bill had got safe on board the corvette. Luckily, the lad had not seen Bill carrying the insensible body of his master; therefore, Mabel’s feelings were spared much anxiety.
“Oh,” exclaimed mother and daughter, “what an escape! Then they actually fired upon them; this proves they were watched, and suspected of having communication with the English vessel of war. Who knows what may be the consequence of this untoward affair?”
Anxious to hear what Jean Plessis thought of this event, they proceeded to the saloon. The intendant was himself disturbed; he had questioned the boy minutely, and he allowed he did not recognise Monsieur de Tourville in the boat; but he was certain he saw Bill, or, as he called him, Pierre Bompart. All the sailors in the boat wore white trousers, short jackets, and glazed hats; therefore he could clearly distinguish the tall figure of Bill.
Jean Plessis was puzzled; if Bill got safe into the boat, surely so did Lieutenant Thornton; then he suddenly recollected the man the coast-guard men were carrying. “Did you see the wounded man?” he demanded.
“Yes,” returned Joseph, “the wounded man was the gentleman who lives with Monsieur Gramont. I am sure of that, for I saw his long beard and great bushy eyebrows.”
This assertion relieved Monsieur Plessis’ anxiety with respect to the safety of Lieutenant Thornton; who, amongst the crew in the boat, he supposed, escaped the boy’s notice. Still it proved to him that Philip de Tourville was discovered to be an Englishman; Julian had better, therefore, get out of the way, for fear of a search for him.