"Oh, one hears nothing here!"

"And what," said the duchess, "are we to do with Mr. Aycon?"

"I can solve that," I observed. "I'm off."

"But he'll see you!" cried the girl. "He is but a half-mile off."

"Mr. Aycon could take the side-path," said the duchess.

"The duke would see him before he reached it," said the girl. "He would be
in sight for nearly fifty yards."

"Couldn't I hide in the bushes?" I asked.

"I hate anything that looks suspicious," remarked the duchess, still quite
calm; "and if he happened to see you, it would look rather suspicious! And
he has got eyes like a cat's for anything of that sort."

There was no denying that it would look suspicious if I were caught hiding
in the bushes. I sat silent, having no other suggestion to make.

Suzanne, with a readiness not born, I hope, of practice, came to the
rescue with a clever suggestion.

"The English groom whom madame dismissed a week ago--" said she. "Why
should not the gentleman pass as the groom? The man would not take his old
clothes away, for he had bought new ones, and they are still here. The
gentleman would put them on and walk past--_voilà_."