She had said that her grooms should flog me.

She had rated me as if I had been a dog.
Very well; we would see now whose brains were the better, whose was the master mind, whose should be the whipping.
The one thing required by my plan was that I should get speech with her; that done, I could trust myself and my new-found weapon for the rest.
But that was absolutely necessary, and, seeing that there might be some difficulty about it, I determined to descend as if my mind were made up to go; then, on pretence of saddling my horse, I would slip away on foot, and lie in wait near the Chateau until I saw her come out.

Or if I could not effect my purpose in that way--either by reason of the landlord's vigilance, or for any other cause--my course was still easy.
I would ride away, and when I had proceeded a mile or so, tie up my horse in the forest and return to the wooden bridge.

Thence I could watch the garden and front of the Chateau until time and chance gave me the opportunity I sought.
So I saw my way quite clearly; and when the fellow below called me, reminding me rudely that I must be going, and that it was six o'clock, I was ready with my answer.

I shouted sulkily that I was coming, and, after a decent delay, I took up my saddle and bags and went down.
Viewed by the light of a cold morning, the inn-room looked more smoky, more grimy, more wretched than when I had last seen it.