"And I have learnt my lesson; never to act again without the counsel and permission of my wife." CHAPTER XX AGATHA'S WARNING THAT night Adrienne could not sleep. She lay very still, not wishing to disturb her husband; and she took herself to task for imagining she heard strange noises round the old Château. It was a still, dark night. No moon: owls were hooting at intervals—once she heard the dogs in the stable barking, but she knew that the movements of the cattle sometimes made them do that. She heard the clocks striking two, then suddenly with no uncertain sound the church bell began to ring. She knew that when that bell rang out, it was a signal of alarm or danger. If there was fire anywhere, or any sudden calamity, the village was roused by the church bell. She put her hand out, and laid it on her husband's shoulder. He was awake in a moment. Both of them sprang out of bed and hurriedly got into their clothes. Adrienne made her way across to one of the unshuttered windows to lean out and see if anyone was about. And then Guy heard her give an exclamation, and joined her at her post. "What is it?" "Agatha!" gasped Adrienne. "I have seen her standing there before me on the lawn quite distinctly,—standing, Guy! What does it mean? And she looked up at me and pointed to the corner of the house over there." "Stay here," her husband said; "no, I won't have you come with me. You are to stay indoors. I hear the servants moving." He was gone. Listening eagerly, Adrienne heard the heavy door open, then leaning out she saw in the east wing of the house smoke coming out of a window, and she smelt the unmistakable scent of fire. Nothing would keep her indoors then. She found her way to Alain's room, had him out of bed and dressed him, trying to soothe and allay his rising excitement. He thought it great fun. Then with the servants, who were thoroughly roused, she took Alain out on the terrace. Gaston, running towards the house for buckets, told her that great bundles of straw soaked with paraffin had been laid against the wooden doors and window frames of the Château. They had only just discovered them in time, for they had all been fired. One lower window had been broken, and a lighted bundle of straw had been pushed through into a room which was a lumber room. This bundle of straw Guy had with extreme difficulty drawn out with a pitchfork, and the room was being soused with water, for it was well alight. Adrienne immediately sent the maids to help. She was no longer afraid of the house burning, for only one room was alight, and that was being deluged with hose and buckets. She stayed out on the terrace with her little stepson for a considerable time; then, as light began to dawn in the sky, and the maids returned one by one saying that all danger was over, she sent Alain back to bed with his bonne, and went across the lawn to find her husband.