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Updated: June 22, 2025
She started, as though I had touched her fingers, but only half turned toward me, for her mind was wholly occupied with the room where Doltaire was. At that moment Gabord coughed slightly, and she turned quickly to him. Her eyes flashed intelligence, and presently, as she passed in, a sort of hope seemed to have come on her face to lighten its painful pensiveness.
Presently he came, and, looking sharply at us all, he ordered two to wait outside, and Gabord and myself to come with him. Then he stood looking at the building curiously for a moment.
At last, one day, I heard commotion at my dungeon door; it opened, and Gabord entered and closed it after him. He came and stood over me, as with difficulty I lifted myself upon my elbow. "Come, try your wings," said he. "It is the end, Gabord?" asked I. "Not paradise yet!" said he. "Then I am free?" I asked. "Free from this dungeon," he answered cheerily.
Gabord had promised to bring Alixe to me at six. The following morning I met Mr. Stevens on the ramparts. I told him it was my purpose to escape the next night, if possible. If not, I must go to the Seigneur Duvarney's, where I should be on parole to Gabord. I bade him fulfill my wishes to the letter, for on his boldness and my own, and the courage of his men, I depended for escape.
Exhausted with the day's business, I threw myself upon my couch, drew my cloak over me, composed myself, and in a few minutes was sound asleep. I waked to find Gabord in the dungeon, setting out food upon a board supported by two stools. "'Tis custom to feed your dickey-bird ere you fetch him to the pot." he said, and drew the cork from a bottle of wine.
This won him to our cause utterly, and I never think of Gabord, as I saw him last in the sway and carnage of battle, fighting with wild uproar and covered with wounds, but the memory of that moment, when he kissed my young wife, comes back to me. At that he turned to leave.
"I believe in God, and you," I answered reverently, and I took her in my arms and kissed her. I did not care at all whether or no Gabord saw; but indeed he did not, as Alixe told me afterwards, for, womanlike, even in this sweet crisis she had an eye for such details. "What more did he say?" I asked, my heart beating hard in the joy of that embrace.
Gabord, you know it so, for you have guarded him and fought with him, and you are an honourable gentleman," she added gently. "No gentleman I," he burst forth, "but jailer base, and soldier born upon a truss of hay. But honour is an apple any man may eat since Adam walked in garden.... 'Tis honest foe, here," he continued magnanimously, and nodded towards me.
I raised myself and tried to stand upon my feet, but fell back. He helped me to rise, and I rested an arm on his shoulder. I tried to walk, but faintness came over me, and I sank back. Then Gabord laid me down, went to the door, and called in two soldiers with a mattress. I was wrapped in my cloak and blankets, laid thereon, and so was borne forth, all covered even to my weak eyes.
After I had been walking swiftly up and down for an hour or more, slapping my hands against my sides to keep them warm for it was so cold I ached and felt a nausea I was glad to see Gabord enter with a soldier carrying wood and shavings.
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