“Are you serious, sir? How are we to bring the horses out without waking these people?”
“We must abandon the carriage, and walk.”
“With two ladies and a child, sir! It is impossible.”
“Nevertheless, it must be done, if for nothing else, because it’s a case of dear life for you and me. But the—Mrs Weston’s resolution won’t need that spur. She would walk barefoot across Europe to keep the boy a Lutheran. And walk we must, if we are to get off.”
“But how far, sir? and what is the good?”
“We must get to Ortojuk and across the river. You know that the city commands the only bridge for many miles. If they can hold that, we are trapped. But my plan is, that we should start before these people here, and do the journey in the disguise of peasants. The ladies have the dresses they have just bought, and you and I must manage to get hold of some peasant clothes somehow, even if we have to waylay passing travellers and effect a forcible exchange. Our great safeguard will be that they cannot tell that we have changed our disguise, and we may slip through unsuspected.”
“But they will find out that you and I have purchased clothes, sir—or requisitioned them, which would be worse.”
“My good Carlo, I am not seriously proposing that we should embark upon a course of highway robbery. I merely intended to imply that we must somehow or other procure peasants’ clothes. As to the shopkeepers’ suspecting us, we must do our best to disarm their suspicions by only buying one or two things at a time—and perhaps making use of Julie as the purchaser until we have got together one complete suit. I don’t say it’s a perfect plan, Carlo; but I can’t think of a better. We must make a spurt and get across the river, and it is quite certain that we can’t do it in our own clothes. When we are over on the other side, we may get a breathing-space; but if we stop now we lose everything.”
“I know of a place of refuge over there, sir. An old cousin of my mother’s is a charcoal-burner in the forest; and my brother described to me the spot where his hut is situated. If we could reach it, we could remain hidden there for a day or two to rest and make fresh plans.”
“Good; it is a goal to aim at, at any rate, and you shall mark the place for me on the map when we get to our room. But for goodness’ sake, if you have any other plan, suggest it. This is a very forlorn hope, I know—— Listen! what is that moving in the passage?”