"I'll only stay with him one minute," I said to myself, "and then run in again, like the wind." A minute passed: no footstep. Two minutes, five, ten; and then I stole to the end of the walk. But there was no one; and I began to tremble with fear first, and then with excitement, and lastly with indignation; for it seemed to me that I was deceived. "The poor fellow must have gone back in despair, believing that I should not come. Ah! he does not know me," I muttered at last. "Perhaps I am too soon," I thought a few minutes later, "and he may yet come." For I would not let the horrible feeling of disappointment get the upper hand. And then I crept closer to the wall, and waited, looking out from an opening between the trees at the moonlit house, and wondering whether Clara was yet awake. All was still as possible. Not a sigh of the night wind, nor a footstep, nor even the rustle of a leaf; when all at once I nearly screamed, for there was a sharp cough just above my head. And as my heart began to beat more and more tumultously than ever, there was a rustling in the ivy on the top of the wall, and a dark figure leaped to the ground, where I should have fallen had it not caught me in its arms. I shut my eyes, as I shivered, half in fear and half with pleasure; and then I let my forehead rest upon my hands against his manly breast--for even in those moments of bliss the big buttons on his coat hurt my nose. And thus we stood for some few moments, each waiting for the other to speak; when he said, in a whisper,--"Better now?" "Oh, yes," I replied; "but I must leave thee now. Achille, _a demain_." "Eh?" he said, with a huskiness of tone which I attributed to emotion. "I must leave thee now," I said. "How did you get out?" he whispered. "By the side door," I said, trembling; for an undefined feeling of dread was creeping over me. "Any chance of a taste of anything?" he whispered. "Good heavens!" I ejaculated, opening my eyes to their widest extent, "who are you?" And I should have turned and fled, but that he held me tightly by the wrist. "Well, perhaps, it don't matter who I am, and never mind about my number," said the wretch. "I'm a pleeceman, that's what I am, county constabulary. Will that soot yer?" "Oh, pray release me!" I said, "oh, let me go!" I gasped; for I thought he might not understand the first, these low men are so ignorant. "Pray go to Monsieur de Tiraille, and he will reward you." "That's him as I ketched atop of the wall, I suppose," said the creature. "My, how he did cut when I showed him the bull's-eye! Thought it was a cracking case, my dear; but I'm up to a thing or two, and won't split. But I say, my dear, how's Ann? And so you took me for him, did you? Well, I ain't surprised." And then if the wretch didn't try to draw me nearer to him: but I started back, horrified. "Well, just as you like, you know," exclaimed the ruffian. "But, I say, you'll let me drink your health, you know, won't you?"