CHAPTER X.THE FIGHT ON THE STAIRS.
The certainty, which this sound gave me, that I was in the right house, and that it held also the villain to whom I owed all my misfortunes--for who but Fresnoy could have furnished the broken coin which had deceived mademoiselle ?--had a singularly inspiriting effect upon me.

I felt every muscle in my body grow on the instant; hard as steel, my eyes more keen, my ears sharper--all my senses more apt and vigorous.

I stole off like a cat from the balustrade, over which I had been looking, and without a second's delay began the search for mademoiselle's room; reflecting that though the garrison now amounted to four, I had no need to despair.

If I could release the prisoners without noise--which would be easy were the key in the lock--we might hope to pass through the hall by a tour de force of one kind or another.

And a church-clock at this moment striking Five, and reminding me that we had only half an hour in which to do all and reach the horses, I was the more inclined to risk something.
The light which I had seen from below hung in a flat-bottomed lantern just beyond the head of the stairs, and outside the entrance to one of two passages which appeared to lead to the back part of the house.
Suspecting that M.de Bruhl's business had lain with mademoiselle, I guessed that the light had been placed for his convenience.