And so he briskly determined upon the lesser risk.
He remembered that the window was nailed down, as it had remained since mademoiselle's pretended attempt at flight.

But surely that should prove no formidable obstacle.
And now that his resolve was taken his tactics abruptly changed.
Hitherto he had been sparing of his movements, husbanding his strength against the long battle that seemed promised him.

Suddenly he assumed the offensive where hitherto he had but acted in self-defence, and a most deadly offensive was it.

He plied his cloak, untwisting it from his arm and flinging it over the head and body of one of his assailants, so that he was enmeshed and blinded by it.

Leaping to the fellow's flank, Garnache, with a terrific kick, knocked his legs from under him so that he fell heavily.