CHAPTER XVII
AT THE OLD GREEN MILL-INN
"It's the old mill. We've walked all night and we've only come to themill!"
Marie Josephine stood still in the middle of the road. They had come outfrom the cool shade of the forest road and the early morning sunshinegreeted them. The sky was faintly blue and everywhere there was thesleepy twitter of birds.
They had walked steadily all night, except for occasional rests by thewayside.
"We might have our dejeuner here, some hot coffee and a petit pain. Wecan rest while we eat it," suggested Marie Josephine, and Jean assentedeagerly. He was too excited as yet to be really tired, it was all soutterly new to him. He had never been as far as the forest by the oldmill in all his life. He kept thinking over and over:
"Petite Mere will soon be waking and she'll find that I'm gone!"
As they came up to the mill-inn, a woman stood in the doorway. When shesaw her, Marie Josephine stopped, hesitated, and would have turned awaybut the woman said sharply:
"What do you want, you two little tramps?"
Marie Josephine answered, "We're not tramps, but we're very hungry andwant some breakfast. We can pay for it."
"You're not to say that she is a tramp," put in Jean indignantly,nodding toward Marie Josephine. The woman paid no attention to him. Shewas looking steadily at Marie Josephine, and as she looked, MarieJosephine could feel the color come into her cheeks. Could it be thatthe inn woman recognized her as the young Mademoiselle who had eatendejeuner there the summer before? There was something about the womanwhich was familiar, something more than the remembrance of the summerbefore. Marie Josephine caught her breath. She suddenly remembered thefigure she had seen under the oak tree after dinner the night before.She caught Jean's hand and started to turn away, but at that moment thewoman gave an exclamation and looked off toward the forest path. Thechildren followed her glance. There, coming toward them, runninglightly, and clearing a big mud puddle in the middle of the road with abound, was Flambeau!
He leaped upon Marie Josephine, fairly devouring her with kisses. Therewas no use in pretending, Flambeau had given them away! He gave short,staccato barks of joy, turning to jump on Jean, licking his face andhands, and then turning again to his little mistress.
The inn woman looked from one to the other of them keenly, her face nowalive with interest. She stared at Marie Josephine as hard as she could.Then she exclaimed:
"The dog seems to know you well. I have seen him before and, if I'm notmistaken, I've seen you, too." As she spoke, she pushed Marie Josephinegently toward the door, looking over her shoulder at Jean. "You can comein. I'll have some coffee and a bit of bread for you soon. You can restawhile, for you both looked fagged out."
Marie Josephine, though she was almost inside the door, tried to pullherself away from the woman.
"No, Jean, we'll go on, we don't want breakfast here," she said, but thewoman had stretched out her arm and pulled Jean in, too.
"Don't be stupid. Of course you must have food, or you'll not be able totake the rest of your journey, wherever it is you're going." The womanspoke kindly and shut the door after them. Flambeau had been the firstto enter the mill-inn, and he bounded across the oddly-shaped room,still barking his delight.
"Well, what do you think of this for a good resting place? See, there'sa window cut in the side over there so you can see the forest." Thewoman was standing in front of the door, and as Marie Josephine and Jeanfollowed the direction of her finger, and looked out at the road leadingto the forest path, she quietly and quickly turned the key in the lockand put it in her pocket.
"Now I'll tell you what you can do. Go up those stairs and you'll find anice little room at the top. It has tables and chairs just like thisone, and there's a fireplace there. I built a bit of fire early, for themill gets damp even on spring nights. You both go up there and rest, andI'll bring your coffee up to you. I'll bring a bone and some milk forthe dog, too," she said. Marie Josephine's heart beat fast as shelistened. Did the woman remember how she had fed Flambeau the summerbefore? Could it be that she was the person underneath the oak? Thisdark woman at the inn had been spying on them at Les Vignes!
Marie Josephine followed Jean up the funny winding stairs. They foundthe room at the top. There were tables and chairs in it, just as thewoman had said. They went over to a table near the small fire. Therewere white muslin curtains at the single window and a pot of geraniumsstood on the sill. It was a neat, cheerful room, and if she had not beenanxious, Marie Josephine would have loved it, for the fact that thefamiliar, old olive mill, which she had always known, had been turnedinto an inn interested her very much. As it was, she turned to Jean assoon as they had shut the door, and catching him firmly by the arm,whispered fiercely:
"It's not safe here. She's a spy. I saw her under our oak tree lastnight. I saw her going through the wood. There's a dark cloak on thechair by the door downstairs. She wore it last night and she hasn't beenback very long, even though she did have four hours' start of us. Sheknows who I am. Flambeau gave us away. She remembers him from lastsummer when we stopped here for dejeuner. Hush! I hear her!" MarieJosephine ran across the room and, when the door opened, she was lookingout of the window. The side of the mill was painted green and there wasan eave's trough along it. An apple tree showing faintly pink and whiteswayed in the early morning breeze, its branches making a tapping soundas they flapped against the rough wall of the mill.
The woman Paulette came across to the fire and put down a tray.
"I had a sip of coffee early myself and so I just warmed some up for thetwo of you. It's cold in the morning around here, even if spring hascome," she said. "Draw up to the table now and make yourselves at home.The brown bread will be to your taste, and there's honey in the bluedish. Here's milk for the dog." The woman took a tin dish off the trayand, bending over, called, "Come, doggie," as she put it on the floor.
Marie Josephine went over to the table and sat down, and Jean followedher example. He was astonished at what his friend had told him. Suddenlyhe felt so tired after walking all night that he was not a bit like hisusual bright, eager self.
"It does look good. There's nothing I like better than bread and honey!"Marie Josephine exclaimed, pouring coffee from a brown jug into one ofthe two white cups and handing the cup to Jean. As she spoke she smileda little wanly at the woman. She had spoken as cheerfully as she couldand she hoped that she had not let the woman see that she suspected her.
Paulette eyed them both shrewdly.
"I'll just go down and leave you to a quiet meal. There may be a coachparty in for lunch, for even though it is out of the regular beat we getthem sometimes." She crossed the room and went out as she spoke. As shepushed the blue dish of honey toward Jean, Marie Josephine felt herheart sink and for a moment the lump in her throat was so big she couldnot swallow. She had heard the woman's key click in the lock!
Jean took a huge slice of bread and honey in his two hands and bit a bighalf moon in it. He was so hungry that it didn't seem to him as thoughanything else mattered very much for the moment, but when he saw MarieJosephine's face he put down the bread and looked at her.
"It isn't so bad here, Little Mademoiselle. The woman seems kind enough.You couldn't have seen her at Les Vignes," he protested.
Marie Josephine ate a slice of bread and drank some coffee before shereplied. "We must keep up our strength," she said. In spite of the perilof the situation she almost had a thrill at the thought that here indeedwas an adventure, one that held all sorts of possibilities. She turnedto Jean and her eyes were as big as saucers as she said to him:
"How many times must I tell you not to call me the Little Mademoiselle?You are to say Jo. I've reminded you twice already. You must remember,Jean. We are locked in here and we are prisoners. Don't you understand?"
Jean jumped up and ran over to the door and tried it. It would not open.They were locked in!
"She recognized me,
but not for certain until Flambeau came. Oh, how didhe get out!" Flambeau left his dish of milk and came up to MarieJosephine at the sound of his name, and she put her face against hisback. "Flambeau, why did you come? You've caused all the trouble. Whatshall we do with you?"
Jean was now fully awake to the situation and, although he wasfrightened, he was excited and alert. He nodded at Marie Josephine.
"It's come, hasn't it? You know we've always wanted an adventure! Whatwould they say if they knew at Les Vignes, Lit--" Jean caught himselfjust in time, "Jo."
Marie Josephine had jumped up from the table while Jean was speaking.She clasped her hands together and put her face down on them, and thetears trickled through her fingers.
"We must get away, we must. Why, they will discover that we've gone verysoon now. It must be nearly seven. They will be sending Neville to findus, and his horse is fleet." She caught her breath with a sob as shespoke.
"It's a long ride, and if we do get away I'm not afraid that Nevillewill find us, for we are small and can hide easy, Jo," Jean said, andMarie Josephine smiled faintly. She had no pocket handkerchief and sorubbed her sleeve across her eyes.
"How stupid I am to cry. We must do something at once, Jean. We--butwhat can we do?"
Jean ran over to the window and looked out. He tugged at the knob, forthe window shut like a small door. Marie Josephine came up to him andwhen he tired of tugging at it she tried to move it. It was a littleswollen by recent dampness, but after Jean tugged the second time itgave, swung open, and the fresh morning air greeted them. Something elsegreeted them, too. It was the sweet pink and whiteness of the appletree. Jean leaned way out on the window ledge and looked around, hiseyes shining excitedly. Then he turned and faced Marie Josephine.
"It's risky, but I think there's a chance that we can reach the tree.The eave's trough, don't you see, holding on to the roof where it curvesdown!" he said.
She leaned way over and peered up at the low roof and then down at theeave's trough. It curved down and ran straight across the side of themill, just below them. There was not a moment to lose, for the womanwould be coming back soon for the tray.
"We can try. But Flambeau! We can't leave him. Could he, do youthink--would he follow us?"
Jean nodded. "I believe he would, and there's no other way. Yes, I knowhe would, for he's always followed us everywhere. I'll go first, thenyou, and you'll see that he'll come. He can balance well. And oh, yes,don't you remember the time he walked the ledge of the summer house whenwe were playing ship?" Jean whispered eagerly but softly.
Marie Josephine nodded. "You go and I'll follow," she whispered back.
Jean turned toward the table. "The bread, Jo! You said you had money forfood, and we need the bread."
Marie Josephine felt in her pocket and drew out a bag. In it were somecoins and she put one on the table. Then she handed the loaf to Jean andhe put it inside his blouse, buttoning his jacket over it. He jumped upon the sill and, turning carefully, reached up and caught theoverhanging ledge of the roof. Then he cautiously put one foot along theledge, drawing the other up to it, and in that way made slow but sureprogress toward the welcoming branches of the tree.
Marie Josephine listened carefully, her eyes on Jean. When Jean was safeshe turned and put her hand on Flambeau's head.
"You're to follow, Flambeau, and you're not to be afraid. You mustfollow," she whispered. Then she jumped up on to the window sill,turned, and grasped the ledge of the roof as Jean had done. She heardthe swish of the tree as he caught the branches, but she dared not lookaround. She did not dare to think of the woman Paulette, and she tried,for the moment, not to think of Flambeau, but that was not so easy, forthere was an appealing squeal from the window sill. Then horrors! Asharp bark!
Marie Josephine called softly, "Flambeau, come!" She held on to theledge and looked back, and, to her joy, saw the dog put his slender feeton to the trough and gingerly step forward. "Come, Flambeau, gooddoggie, pet, come!" she called again softly. Then she turned, caught atthe branches, held them with every bit of strength in her body, swayedwith them, dipping down through their leafy sweetness, loosening herhold the instant her feet touched the ground. She swayed and staggered,half fell over, but was up in an instant, and with Jean looked upward atFlambeau. He had reached the edge of the trough, and was looking down.Soon they saw that he had spied what they had not seen, a broad, thickbranch some four feet below the trough. He leaped down, scrambled amongthe smaller branches for a moment, then jumped safely to the ground andran with bounds after the two friends who seemed to scarcely touch theirfeet to the earth as they sped down the road, away from the forest, theold mill-inn, and the dark woman, Paulette!
They often wondered afterward how they had ever run so fast after theirnight of travel. Fear seemed to race behind them, and they were surethey heard the woman running and calling, but they never looked back tosee. At last they could not run any longer. They came to a crossroad andsat down near the edge of the road, panting and exhausted. There was noone in sight and they rested for some little time before they could talkat all. Then Jean said, "There must be quicksilver in your feet, Jo,"and they both laughed.
Jean laughed the most, throwing back his head and shouting. He was sotired and excited that he could not seem to stop. "You look so awful,Jo. You are so untidy and dirty and ugly," he said.
"It's good that I do look just this way, for no one will know me. PoorFlambeau, see how tired he is. If only he hadn't come. But wasn't hewonderful there at the inn?"
There was the sound of wheels coming the other way, and they looked upand saw that a coach was approaching. Flambeau ran toward it, and as hecame up to it, started to bark. The driver of the coach stopped andlooked at him, and then at Marie Josephine and Jean.
"You both look fagged out. If you're going my way I'll give you a lift,"he said.
They came up to the side of the coach, and as they stood there it seemedas though everything went round and round before Marie Josephine's eyes.
"We are tired, and so is Flambeau," she said faintly. Then she scrambledup somehow into the back of the coach, and Jean followed her.
"We are going to Melon and beyond toward Paris. I have cousins nearMelon," Jean said to the man, and this was true.
There was only one other passenger in the cart, a fat market woman whokept muttering to herself, and every now and then leaning over a woodenbox at her feet and saying, "Hush your gab. You'll squawk all the way toParis, I know you will." The very disagreeable noise of imprisoned hensanswered her. Marie Josephine remembered feeling sorry for the hens, andthen she knew nothing more, for she fell into the deepest sleep she hadever known.
She woke suddenly, sat bolt upright, and rubbed her eyes. When she hadfallen asleep she had felt the sun on her face, but as she woke the softglimmer of stars greeted her. Jean was awake. He sat up beside thedriver of the coach, talking busily. It was Flambeau's caress which hadroused her. He was lying close beside her. The hens were quiet and thewoman was asleep. The kind man who drove the coach was smoking a pipe.Outside in the dusk the good-night call of birds came to them drowsily.
"You have to be very still when you catch them or you will frighten themaway," Jean was saying. "I always let them go. They are such dear littlethings I always free them after just a little while." He seemed to behaving the best kind of a time sitting up there by the driver. MarieJosephine hoped he would be very careful what he said, he was such alittle chatterbox.
It had been so strange waking that way in the coach, for she had beendreaming of Lisle and had seen his face so vividly in her dream. He hadon the velvet robes of the "Sun King," and the jewels in his sword hadsparkled as they had done on the night that he had sat beside her on thebed and told her that she was going to Les Vignes. What would he say ifhe could see her now? He would not even know that this funny, dirty girlwas his little sister, Marie Josephine!
She had become used to the idea that she was going to run away to Paris.But in spite of her imagination she had s
omehow never quite been able tovisualize it. Now it was a reality! She thought so much of the hiddencellar and of all that grandfather had told her that spring day so longago.
"It is to be your secret unless by disclosing it you can save a life,"he had said. Paris, and all that was happening there, seemed like a baddream. She had never really believed that anything could happen to hermother and Lisle. She often thought of the "other one" who knew of thecellar, and wondered if that person was helping, too. The waiting at LesVignes for news of maman and Lisle had been more than she could bear.
The cart stopped with a jerk, and the driver turned his head.
"Are you awake back there in the cart? Do you hear me, girl?" he asked."We're almost at Melon. Are you going on to your cousins, or what willyou do?"
Marie Josephine was alert in a moment. They must make the best of thedarkness and of their long rest. She judged that Jean had told thedriver to ask her, not knowing himself what she wanted to do.
"We'll go on, thank you kindly. Come, Jean," she replied, climbing downthe side of the cart. Jean jumped off the driver's seat and waved hiscap up at him.
"That was a good ride and I slept enough to last a week when those oldhens got quiet!" He laughed up at the driver as he spoke.
Suddenly a voice called through the darkness, "Are you Champar, thedriver to the Calais road?" The next moment a boy with a round, honestface came up to the cart.
"That's me," the coach driver answered.
"Well, do you go near Pigeon Valley?" the boy asked.
"Not often, about once a month. I take in that way on my next route, andthen go straight on toward Calais, but I have to detour so much now it'sthe hardest trip I have. I have to keep out of the way of cannon, myboy, and the army, and maybe fighting!" The driver spoke importantly.
"Well, anyway you don't have any of that as far as Pigeon Valley." Theboy came close to the cart and spoke in a low tone. Marie Josephinecould not hear. Evidently the man made some emphatic statement and theboy replied in a louder tone, "Never mind, if you don't go straightthere with the coach." Then he handed the driver something white whichlooked like a letter. Marie Josephine heard him say:
"I'll see that he gets it safely." With that, Champar, the coach driver,whipped up his horses, waved his whip at them all, and drove on.