"Why, wife, what makes then so curious about a matter that, of a truth, concerns thee not?" said Paul suspiciously. "Thou art never likely to set eyes upon the young miscreants. That greedy old bag-of-bones—Renard, the thief, mountebank, tailor, tinker, and what not—has got the lads, body and soul, and he is not likely to let them out of his sight."
"Are they French?" asked Claudine again.
"No, certainly not. With their master they spoke the English tongue, and a hard, jaw-breaking, cursed language it is too. One of the boys was little with a pale face, and the other taller, with a big round head like one of thine own pumpkins, Claudine. Ah, let me but catch them, the young monkeys! And in the space of ten minutes, no one should know them for the same children."
To this the woman made no reply that the lads could hear; but they had heard enough to make them look at each other in renewed fear and horror.
"We can't stay here another moment, Phil," whispered Tad. "We must go."
The slatted, wooden shutter which served as a window was only fastened by a hook on one side. Tad stole across the straw-covered floor, slipped the hook out of the ring, and the shutter swung open. Swiftly and noiselessly the boys got out, and found themselves in a small back garden communicating by a gate with the yard, and divided only by a low fence from a lane, the tall, bare trees of which they could see rising above the fence. To clamber over, and drop down into the lane on the other side, was the work of a moment. Then away—away, in the fading light, as though flying for their lives—sped the two poor lads, once more fugitives and vagabonds in a strange land.
[CHAPTER XIII]
UNEXPECTED NEWS
THE plentiful meal and long sleep obtained through Claudine's hospitality and kindness, had done the lads good service. And when they recovered from their excitement and first dread of pursuit, and found themselves clear of the neighbourhood of the house, they felt strong enough to push on at a fair pace. The darkness was coming so rapidly, that the boys thought they might with perfect safety keep to the road. Along the road accordingly they trudged, looking carefully about them, however, and ready to hide under a hedge or crouch in a ditch, or dodge behind a tree at the wayside, at the least sound or threatening of danger.
It was about eight o'clock, and they were beginning to think of making a halt for a rest of half an hour or so, when a slow, heavy rumbling of wheels along the highway made them look round.