第47章

"De Gautet, De Gautet, man!" sounded from the drawbridge.

"Unless you want a bath before your bed, come along!"It was Rupert's voice, coming from the end of the drawbridge.

A moment later he and De Gautet stepped out on the bridge.

Rupert's arm was through De Gautet's, and in the middle of the bridge he detained his companion and leant over.

I dropped behind the shelter of "Jacob's Ladder."Then Master Rupert had a little sport.He took from De Gautet a bottle which he carried, and put it to his lips.

"Hardly a drop!" he cried discontentedly, and flung it in the moat.

It fell, as I judged from the sound and the circles on the water, within a yard of the pipe.And Rupert, taking out his revolver, began to shoot at it.The first two shots missed the bottle, but hit the pipe.The third shattered the bottle.I hoped that the young ruffian would be content; but he emptied the other barrels at the pipe, and one, skimming over the pipe, whistled through my hair as I crouched on the other side.

"'Ware bridge!" a voice cried, to my relief.

Rupert and De Gautet cried, "A moment!" and ran across.

The bridge was drawn back, and all became still.The clock struck a quarter-past one.I rose and stretched myself and yawned.

I think some ten minutes had passed when I heard a slight noise to my right.I peered over the pipe, and saw a dark figure standing in the gateway that led to the bridge.It was a man.

By the careless, graceful poise, I guessed it to be Rupert again.

He held a sword in his hand, and he stood motionless for a minute or two.Wild thoughts ran through me.On what mischief was the young fiend bent now? Then he laughed low to himself;then he turned his face to the wall, took a step in my direction, and, to my surprise, began to climb down the wall.In an instant I saw that there must be steps in the wall; it was plain.

They were cut into or affixed to the wall, at intervals of about eighteen inches.Rupert set his foot on the lower one.

Then he placed his sword between his teeth, turned round, and noiselessly let himself into the water.Had it been a matter of my life only, I would have swum to meet him.

Dearly would I have loved to fight it out with him then and there--with steel, on a fine night, and none to come between us.But there was the King!

I restrained myself, but I could not bridle my swift breathing, and I watched him with the intensest eagerness.

He swam leisurely and quietly across.There were more steps up on the other side, and he climbed them.When he set foot in the gateway, standing on the drawn-back bridge, he felt in his pocket and took something out.I heard him unlock the door.

I could hear no noise of its closing behind him.He vanished from my sight.

Abandoning my ladder--I saw I did not need it now--I swam to the side of the bridge and climbed half way up the steps.

There I hung with my sword in my hand, listening eagerly.

The duke's room was shuttered and dark.There was a light in the window on the opposite side of the bridge.Not a sound broke the silence, till half-past one chimed from the great clock in the tower of the chateau.

There were other plots than mine afoot in the Castle that night.