244 A JACOBITE EXILE

a fire up in a tree. Well, good-bye, if we do not see you
again may all good fortune attend you, and may the saints
protect you from all danger.”

Charlie shook hands with the men all round, and then
hurried down to the sledge. ‘The coachman was already
in the front seat, the countess and her child had taken their
places, and the two armed servants and Stanislas were stand-
ing behind in readiness to jump on to a board fastened
above the runners.

“T must apologize for keeping you waiting, countess,”
Charlie said ashe ran up. “I had to explain to my friends
in a few words how this had all come about.”

“We are also longing to know,” the count said. “But I
have not yet introduced you to my wife, nor have I learned
the name of the gentleman to whom I owe so much.”

“ Ah, sir,” the young countess said, holding out her hand
after Charlie had given his name, “what do we not owe
you? I shall never forget it all, never.”

“\We will talk when we have started, Feodora; let us get
out of this forest as soon as we can.”

He took his place beside his wife, and set the child on
his knees; his brother and Charlie sitting opposite to him.
The servants spread a bear-skin rug over their knees, and
then jumped into their places as the driver cracked his
whip, and the horses started.

“Vou must think us almost mad to be driving through
the forest at this time of the year,” the count said to
Charlie. ‘But the countess is a Russian, we have been
staying two months at her father’s place a hundred miles to
the east; my two youngest children are at home, and two
days since a message arrived saying that one of them was
dangerously ill. We had heard, of course, many tales of
the numbers and fierceness of the wolves, but we hoped that
by travelling only by day and with excellent horses there
was not much to fear, especially as we were five armed men,