“And, Victor, do you guard the door, on the left,” she said, taking up her gun.
“But, surely, you are not going down, miss?”
“Yes, yes,” she said, with a resolute accent and abrupt movements; “let me be—I have a cartridge left—If he stirs—”
She went out. A moment later, Albert saw her going toward the ruins. He called to her from the window:
“He’s dragged himself behind the cloister. I can’t see him. Be careful, miss—”
Raymonde went round the old cloisters, to cut off the man’s retreat, and Albert soon lost sight of her. After a few minutes, as he did not see her return, he became uneasy and, keeping his eye on the ruins, instead of going down by the stairs he made an effort to reach the ladder. When he had succeeded, he scrambled down and ran straight to the cloisters near which he had seen the man last. Thirty paces farther, he found Raymonde, who was searching with Victor.
“Well?” he asked.
“There’s no laying one’s hands on him,” replied Victor.
“The little door?”
“I’ve been there; here’s the key.”