I had studied a plan of the chateau and I knew the lay of the land and the position of the chambers perfectly. A bath, a rest and a meal completed my preparations. No, I forget one thing. I knew that many a door that will not open to iron and steel is facile to a golden key, and I made du Trémigon provide me with a rouleau of louis. He did it with an ill grace. In the first place he had none too many, and, in the second, I suppose, he thought he had laid out enough in the adventure. I insisted, however, giving him in lieu thereof another signed paper to add to his collection. This and the visit to the notary, where I saw things made secure from my point of view, filled the day. At eight o’clock we sallied forth. Du Trémigon had furnished us with a couple of horses. We had no difficulty passing the gates—he had provided us with the password—and finding the Duke’s mansion. The Marquis did not accompany us. He intended to give out that he had paid a visit to the Countess in her chamber, and in proof of it was to exhibit her slipper. The Countess, being at a masked ball where no one could recognize her for hours, could not disprove his statement. Of course, if anybody saw him elsewhere his plan would fail, so he was to lie close and await our return. When we came near the place I left the horses in care of an innkeeper to whom du Trémigon had recommended me. I gave instructions to have them ready for instant service at any time. I expected that we would be back before midnight. Then Bucknall and I walked boldly down the road toward the gate of the mansion. Du Trémigon had told us that his servant was one-eyed, so Bucknall was disguised by a patch over one eye, which gave him great inconvenience, by the way, and at which, sailor-like, the old sea-dog growled mightily. I drew the Marquis’s cloak up around my neck, pulled my hat down, and assumed as well as I could his mincing gait and manner. In the dark we might well pass for du Trémigon and his servant. The porter at the gate was expecting us. He made no difficulty about passing us through. Then we were left to shift for ourselves. The night was dark and chill. There were no dogs in the yard. The Duke kept his hounds in the country. No one disturbed us as we made our way cautiously along the wall under the trees to the window of the Countess’s apartment. A few lights showed here and there through the different openings on this side of the house. Among them a faint illumination came from the window beneath which we stood. I looked at it with interest. It seemed that no one could be in the room. The light was probably a single candle, left burning in case of need. This agreed with our information.