He did not answer, and I followed his eyes. A woman had just entered the room with a bundle of sticks. She had one eye! I confess that, for an instant, this staggered me; but a moment's thought reminded me that the astrologer had come from this inn to us, and I smiled at the credulity which would have built on a coincidence that was no coincidence. When the woman had retired again, therefore, I rallied Boisrueil on his timidity; but, though he admitted the correctness of my reasoning, I saw that he was not entirely convinced. He started whenever a shutter flapped, or the draughts, which searched the grim old building through and through, threatened to extinguish our lights. He hung cloaks over the windows to obviate the latter inconvenience he said--and was continually going out and coming back with gloomy looks. Parabere joined me in rallying him, which we did without mercy; but when I had occasion, after a while, to pass through the outer room I found that he was not alone in his fears. The troopers sat moodily listening, or muttered together; while the cup passed round in silence. When I bade a man go on an errand to the stable, four went; and when I dropped a word to the woman who was attending to her pot, a dozen heads were stretched out to catch the answer. Such a feeling--to which, in this instance, the murmur of the stream and the steady downpour of rain doubtless added something--is so contagious that I was not surprised to find Colet and La Font sinking under it. Only Parabere, in fact, rose quite superior to the notion, laughed at their fears, and drank to their better spirits; and, making the best of the situation, as became an old soldier, presently engaged me in tales of the war--fought again the siege of Laon, and buried men whose bodies bad lain for ten years under the oaks at Fontaine Francoise. Talk of this kind, which we still maintained after we had despatched our supper, was sufficiently engrossing to erase Boisrueil's fancies entirely from my mind. They were recalled by his sudden entrance, with Colet at his elbow, the faces of both full of importance. I saw that they had something to say, and asked what it was. "We have been examining the back gate, M. le Marquis," Colet said. "Well, man?" "It is barricaded, and cannot be opened," he answered. "Well," I said again, "there is nothing wonderful in that. Anyone can see that there has been rough work here. The front gate was stormed, I suppose, and the back one left standing." "But if is so barricaded that it is not possible to open it," he objected. "And the men have an idea--" "Well?" I said, seeing that he hesitated. "That this is a one-eyed house." Parabere laughed loudly. "Of course it is!" he said. "That strolling rogue saw the gate as well as the woman, and made his profit of them." "Pardon, sir!" Boisrueil answered bluntly, "That is just what he did not do!" "Well," I said, silencing him by a gesture, "is that all?"