He would show them that he was no child to be kept in hiding! Dian had said that it was necessary that he stay in the cellar for the present, and had taken it for granted that he would do so, but he had not given Dian his word that he would stay. As he climbed up the secret stairs he was glad that this was so. He had watched Dian open the panel and when he reached the top of the stairs he did as the shepherd had done, and to his joy the panel slipped out easily. What would Marie Josephine say if she could see him now! He slipped the panel back in place, and stood for a moment in the dim cellar, the musty scent of apples and onions all about him. He thought of the night when he had come down for wood, leaving Rosanne singing in the salon, and of all that he had been through since then. He turned back toward the secret panel, hesitated, then ran quickly up the dark stairway to the floor above. He was in his own house! He was master of that house! It had belonged to his forefathers and now it was his own, but as he went into the great, silent hall, he knew that he was not quite as he had been that night of the blizzard when he had toasted nuts with Rosanne. He had known grave danger and he had met with kindness. He had a feeling of gratitude for the bakery woman. He was sorry that all the pride and delight she had in her cakes had ended in the shattering of her shop. He felt an intense relief and thankfulness that Rosanne was not in danger and he wanted to get her safely out of Paris. Above all, he wanted to set his mother free. That was one of his plans, to go to Great-aunt Hortense’s house in some disguise. He was full of plans and longing for action, but out of all that he had learned these last weeks, he had not lost his pride. He had not been content to wait for Dian’s own good time. He had chosen a time himself. As he stood there in the dark hall, he thought he saw something move, and then decided that it was only the swaying of the velvet curtain leading into the salon. He put one foot on the stairs leading to the floor above and then paused, listening. He heard footsteps; they came from the direction of the cellars. He was not mistaken. It must be Dian who had come back through the cellar window. The hot blood mounted to Lisle’s face. Dian had found that he was gone and was coming to look for him. He turned and looked back, and at that moment saw the tall figure of the shepherd in the half light. He was just about to speak to him when some one crouching by the velvet curtain jumped forward, and pointed a gun at Dian’s head. Lisle ran out of the shadow and threw himself in front of the shepherd, both arms outstretched. The gun fell to the floor with a crash and its owner began to sob. It was Henri! CHAPTER XXI IN THE HIDDEN CELLAR The three of them stood there in the great, dark entrance hall, Henri trying to speak through his sobs.