a word of French, will kill you on the least rash movement."

"'"And who are you?" I asked, feeling for the speaker's hand, for
her arm was inside the sleeve of a soldier's uniform.

"'"I am my lady's waiting-woman," said she, "and ready to reward you
with my own person if you show yourself gallant and helpful in our
necessities."

"'"Gladly," said I, seeing that I was inevitably started on a
perilous adventure.

"'Under favor of the darkness, I felt whether the person and figure
of the girl were in keeping with the idea I had formed of her from her
tone of voice. The good soul had, no doubt, made up her mind from the
first to accept all the chances of this strange act of kidnapping, for
she kept silence very obligingly, and the coach had not been more than
ten minutes on the way when she accepted and returned a very
satisfactory kiss. The lover, who sat opposite to me, took no offence
at an occasional quite involuntary kick; as he did not understand
French, I conclude he paid no heed to them.

"'"I can be your mistress on one condition only," said the woman, in
reply to the nonsense I poured into her ear, carried away by the
fervor of an improvised passion, to which everything was unpropitious.

"'"And what is it?"

"'"That you will never attempt to find out whose servant I am. If I
am to go to you, it must be at night, and you must receive me in the