Baroness Dermoncourt sent the general word of this by their gardener, urging him to fly without a moment's loss of time. They discussed the possibility of crossing the Rhine, and decided that on the following day they would pretend to go on a hunting excursion among the islands which lay opposite Geiswasser. Geiswasser is a small hamlet situated on this side of the Rhine, inhabited by fishers and customs officers. The pretext was all the more plausible as the islands were teeming with game and General Dermoncourt had, together with M. Koechlin of Mulhouse, rented several of them for shooting. At dawn they set out with dogs and guns. They had hired the boatmen overnight and found them ready. About nine o'clock, in a mist which prevented seeing ten paces ahead, they embarked and told the boatmen to make for mid-stream. They landed at one of the islands. Rusconi and Dermoncourt alone remained in the boat, whilst those who had nothing to be afraid of pretended to go and shoot. "Now, my men, I have business on the other side the Rhine," the general said to the boatmen. "You must have the goodness to take me across." The boatmen looked at each other and smiled. "Willingly, general," they replied. A quarter of an hour later Rusconi and Dermoncourt were in Breisgau. When he had put foot on the Grand Duke of Baden's territory, he drew a handful of sovereigns from his pocket and gave them to the boatmen. "Thanks, general," they replied; "but there was really no need for that. We are true Frenchmen and we would not like to see a brave man like yourself shot." These boatmen knew about Béfort and were perfectly aware that they were conducting fugitives and not a hunting party. The general retreated to Freiburg and from there he went to Bâle. On 5 and 6 January we read the full details of the conspiracy in the papers. The name of Dermoncourt took such a prominent part in the proceedings that we were quite sure if he were arrested his arrears of half-pay would never be settled. These particulars explained his letter, and we were able to understand what sort of fine weather to expect after the rain. Instead of the barometer rising to "Set fair," it had dropped to "Stormy." My poor mother was obliged to keep her umbrella open, as Dermoncourt had advised. Only the umbrella was such a dilapidated one that it no longer served to ward off showers. In other words--to abandon our metaphor--we had come to the end of our resources. But hope was still left me. You ask from what quarter? I will tell you. CHAPTER VII My hopes--Disappointment--M. Deviolaine is appointed forest-ranger to the Duc d'Orléans--His coldness towards me--Half promises--First cloud on my love-affairs--I go to spend three months with my brother-in-law at Dreux--The news waiting for me on my return--Muphti--Walls and hedges--The summer-house--Tennis--Why I gave up playing it--The wedding party in the wood