"To remain! Here! My God!" and now she lifted her eyes and looked him straight in the face, he seeing as she did so that they were large, grey, truthful-looking eyes. "To remain here! In this villain's house Oh! have I not tried to escape more than once--almost succeeded; should have done so, but that they found me by aid of the dogs----"
"The dogs!" Andrew exclaimed. "The dogs! They set them on you. Ha! Since that is so I regret no longer they are dead."
"Dead!" she exclaimed in her turn. "Dead! Was it you, then, who slew the first one?"
"It was I. You know of that?"
"I know it. They thought it was some braconnier stealing about the place, or some enemy of his. And it was you!"
"I came here to find a way to you--to save you, if might be," Andrew replied. "To find some entrance to this house. I have found it. Madame," and his voice was very grave and serious as he continued, "being here we must not tarry. This is our chance--to-night. By dawn it may be gone. It is not well to lose time."
"How to go?" she asked. "How escape?"
He told her of the rope and of Laurent watching on the other side of the chasm; made light of any danger there might be--which he assured her was but imaginary--told her that when across and safely on the slope her liberty was assured.
"For," he said, "once there, none dare to harm you or me. Nor to attack us. I beseech you, delay not; I beseech you come."
At first she shivered with fear, said she knew of the distance between the house and the slope; that she would rather live there a prisoner for life than venture on so terrible an escape. Yet, also, at last she yielded to his persuasions, nay, his threats almost, that, if she came not now he must leave her and seek his own safety. She would go, she decided.