Harry thanked her with a look, and ran downstairs three steps at a time. He called to one of the dragoons to accompany him, and hastened again to the gate, meeting on the way several men whom, in obedience to his instructions, Sherebiah had sent up from the road. "Sherry," he said, "ask this fellow if a cavalry troop on the march is preceded by an advance guard. He won’t understand my Dutch." "I can tell ’ee that," said Sherebiah instantly. "They do so. A patrol goos ahead, mebbe a quarter of a mile." "Oh! Now, mark my plan. Mademoiselle de Vaudrey is making some of the Dutchmen look like soldiers; we’ve no muskets for them, but at a distance I hope sticks may serve as well. I am going to post these make-believe soldiers around the wall of the estate among the trees; it will look as if the orchard and woods are manned. They will remain concealed until a flag appears on the tower; then their sudden appearance will, I trust, make an impression." "Ay, sir, ’tis famous. But if the patrol gets much past the house, ’twill be labour lost, for they will be near enough to see ’tis all my eye." "Yes, that must be avoided. What can be done?" "I tell ’ee, sir. Leave three o’ the wagons on the road, half a mile or so towards the village, where the road bends; I reckon Piet and Hans and me can keep any French patrol a-diddle-daddlen until the flag runs up. Then—do ’ee see, sir?—dragoons slip out of copse and trounce the Frenchmen, Piet and me and Hans draws the wagons across the road: and there be a barricade." "A capital notion! I will leave that to you, then.—Ah! here is a man from the other direction. He may have news of the enemy." A countryman, with his wife and family, had just driven up in a cart. From him Harry learnt that the French were sacking isolated farms on the road, and might be expected within the hour. Harry at once went back to the house, ran up the stairs, and again called for mademoiselle. "May I go up to the roof and see if I can descry the enemy?" he asked. "I will take you." She led the way to the turret stair, and in a few moments Harry stood upon the roof, whence on fine days a clear prospect for many miles could have been obtained. The morning was somewhat overcast, and the haze limited his view. But in one quarter he seemed to see a blackness that could only arise from the smoke of burning houses. Between him and the cloud appeared the gables of a house larger than Madame de Vaudrey’s chateau. "That belongs to Monsieur de Polignac," said Adèle in reply to his question. "The French will come to that first; that will gain a little time for us."