And there, in a suit of the absent farmer's grey homespun, his legs encased in coarse woollen stockings and sabots upon his feet, sat the young Deputy alone with his unpleasant thoughts.

The woman had brought him a pipe, and, although the habit was foreign to him as a rule, he had lighted it and found the smoking somewhat soothing.

Ruefully he passed his hand across his bandaged brow, and in pondering over all that had taken place since yesternight at Boisvert, his cheeks grew flushed at once with anger and with shame.
"To have been so duped!" And now--his mind growing clearer as he recovered in vigour--it occurred to him that by to-morrow it would be too late to give pursuit.

Once she crossed the Sambre at Liege, or elsewhere, who could tell him by what road she would elect to continue her journey?
He had not sufficient men at his disposal to send out parties along each of the possible roads.
That her ultimate destination was Treves he knew.

But once there she was beyond his reach, at safety from the talons of the French Republic.
He sat on and thought, what time his brows came closer together and his teeth fastened viciously upon the stem of the pipe.