“What does that matter?” said de Bennetot. “In a little while she’ll——”
The words died away on his lips; and they seemed no longer to dare to break the silence. Every quarter of an hour the clock of the village church chimed. Ralph fancied he could see their lips move as they counted the strokes, gazing fearfully at one another without saying anything.
But when that clock struck ten, Godfrey d’Etigues banged his fist down on the table with a violence that made the lamp jingle.
“Hell take it! It’s time we started.”
“What a disgusting job it is!” growled de Bennetot. “Are we going by ourselves?”
“The others want to come with us. But I shall send them back from the top of the cliff, since they believe in that English ship,” said the Baron.
“I should much prefer that we went in a body,” said de Bennetot.
“Oh, be quiet! My instructions are that only you and I are to handle the matter. The others might get talking; and that would be a pretty kettle of fish. Hullo! Here they are!”
The others turned out to be the three who had not taken the train, that is to say d’Ormont, Rufus d’Estiers, and Rolleville. The latter was carrying a stable lamp which the Baron made him extinguish.
“No lights,” he said. “Somebody would see it moving about on the cliff and start gossiping about it. Have the servants gone to bed?”