As Lord de Winter had thought, Milady's wound was not dangerous.So soon as she was left alone with the woman whom the baron hadsummoned to her assistance she opened her eyes.

It was, however, necessary to affect weakness and pain - not avery difficult task for so finished an actress as Milady. Thusthe poor woman was completely the dupe of the prisoner, whom,notwithstanding her hints, she persisted in watching all night.

But the presence of this woman did not prevent Milady fromthinking.

There was no longer a doubt that Felton was convinced; Felton washers. If an angel appeared to that young man as an accuser ofMilady, he would take him, in the mental disposition in which henow found himself, for a messenger sent by the devil.

Milady smiled at this thought, for Felton was now her only hope - her only means of safety.

But Lord de Winter might suspect him; Felton himself might now bewatched!

Toward four o'clock in the morning the doctor arrived; but sincethe time Milady stabbed herself, however short, the wound hadclosed. The doctor could therefore measure neither the directionnor the depth of it; he only satisfied himself by Milady's pulsethat the case was not serious.

In the morning Milady, under the pretext that she had not sleptwell in the night and wanted rest, sent away the woman whoattended her.

She had one hope, which was that Felton would appear at thebreakfast hour; but Felton did not come.

Were her fears realized? Was Felton, suspected by the baron,about to fail her at the decisive moment? She had only one dayleft. Lord de Winter had announced her embarkation for thetwenty-third, and it was now the morning of the twenty-second.

Nevertheless she still waited patiently till the hour for dinner.

Although she had eaten nothing in the morning, the dinner wasbrought in at its usual time. Milady then perceived, withterror, that the uniform of the soldiers who guarded her waschanged.

Then she ventured to ask what had become of Felton.

She was told that he had left the castle an hour before onhorseback. She inquired if the baron was still at the castle.The soldier replied that he was, and that he had given orders tobe informed if the prisoner wished to speak to him.

Milady replied that she was too weak at present, and that heronly desire was to be left alone.

The soldier went out, leaving the dinner served.

Felton was sent away. The marines were removed. Felton was thenmistrusted.

This was the last blow to the prisoner.

Left alone, she arose. The bed, which she had kept from prudenceand that they might believe her seriously wounded, burned herlike a bed of fire. She cast a glance at the door; the baron hadhad a plank nailed over the grating. He no doubt feared that bythis opening she might still by some diabolical means corrupt herguards.

Milady smiled with joy. She was free now to give way to hertransports without being observed. She traversed her chamberwith the excitement of a furious maniac or of a tigress shut upin an iron cage. CERTES, if the knife had been left in herpower, she would now have thought, not of killing herself, but ofkilling the baron.

At six o'clock Lord de Winter came in. He was armed at allpoints. This man, in whom Milady till that time had only seen avery simple gentleman, had become an admirable jailer. Heappeared to foresee all, to divine all, to anticipate all.

A single look at Milady apprised him of all that was passing inher mind.

"Ay,!" said he, "I see; but you shall not kill me today. Youhave no longer a weapon; and besides, I am on my guard. You hadbegun to pervert my poor Felton. He was yielding to yourinfernal influence; but I will save him. He will never see youagain; all is over. Get your clothes together. Tomorrow youwill go. I had fixed the embarkation for the twenty-fourth; butI have reflected that the more promptly the affair takes placethe more sure it will be. Tomorrow, by twelve o'clock, I shallhave the order for your exile, signed, BUCKINGHAM. If youspeak a single word to anyone before going aboard ship, mysergeant will blow your brains out. He has orders to do so. Ifwhen on the ship you speak a single word to anyone before thecaptain permits you, the captain will have you thrown into thesea. That is agreed upon.

"AU REVOIR; then; that is all I have to say today. Tomorrow Iwill see you again, to take my leave." With these words thebaron went out. Milady had listened to all this menacing tiradewith a smile of disdain on her lips, but rage in her heart.

Supper was served. Milady felt that she stood in need of all herstrength. She did not know what might take place during thisnight which approached so menacingly - for large masses of cloudrolled over the face of the sky, and distant lightning announceda storm.

The storm broke about ten o'clock. Milady felt a consolation inseeing nature partake of the disorder of her heart. The thundergrowled in the air like the passion and anger in her thoughts.It appeared to her that the blast as it swept along disheveledher brow, as it bowed the branches of the trees and bore awaytheir leaves. She howled as the hurricane howled; and her voicewas lost in the great voice of nature, which also seemed to groanwith despair.

All at once she heard a tap at her window, and by the help of aflash of lightning she saw the face of a man appear behind thebars.

She ran to the window and opened it.

"Felton!" cried she. "I am saved."

"Yes," said Felton; "but silence, silence! I must have time tofile through these bars. Only take care that I am not seenthrough the wicket."

"Oh, it is a proof that the Lord is on our side, Felton," repliedMilady. "They have closed up the grating with a board."

"That is well; God has made them senseless," said Felton.

"But what must I do?" asked Milady.

"Nothing, nothing, only shut the window. Go to bed, or at leastlie down in your clothes. As soon as I have done I will knock onone of the panes of glass. But will you be able to follow me?"

"Oh, yes!"

"Your wound?"

"Gives me pain, but will not prevent my walking."

"Be ready, then, at the first signal."

Milady shut the window, extinguished the lamp, and went, asFelton had desired her, to lie down on the bed. Amid the moaningof the storm she heard the grinding of the file upon the bars,and by the light of every flash she perceived the shadow ofFelton through the panes.

She passed an hour without breathing, panting, with a cold sweatupon her brow, and her heart oppressed by frightful agony atevery movement she heard in the corridor.

There are hours which last a year.

At the expiration of an hour, Felton tapped again.

Milady sprang out of bed and opened the window. Two bars removedformed an opening for a man to pass through.

"Are you ready?" asked Felton.

"Yes. Must I take anything with me?"

"Money, if you have any."

"Yes; fortunately they have left me all I had."

"So much the better, for I have expended all mine in chartering avessel."

"Here!" said Milady, placing a bag full of louis in Felton'shands.

Felton took the bag and threw it to the foot of the wall.

"Now," said he, "will you come?"

"I am ready."

Milady mounted upon a chair and passed the upper part of her bodythrough the window. She saw the young officer suspended over theabyss by a ladder of ropes. For the first time an emotion ofterror reminded her that she was a woman.

The dark space frightened her.

"I expected this," said Felton.

"It's nothing, it's nothing!" said Milady. "I will descend withmy eyes shut."

"Have you confidence in me?" said Felton.

"You ask that?"

"Put your two hands together. Cross them; that's right!"

Felton tied her two wrists together with his handkerchief, andthen with a cord over the handkerchief.

"What are you doing?" asked Milady, with surprise.

"Pass your arms around my neck, and fear nothing."

"But I shall make you lose your balance, and we shall both bedashed to pieces."

"Don't be afraid. I am a sailor."

Not a second was to be lost. Milady passed her two arms roundFelton's neck, and let herself slip out of the window. Feltonbegan to descend the ladder slowly, step by step. Despite theweight of two bodies, the blast of the hurricane shook them inthe air.

All at once Felton stopped.

"What is the matter?" asked Milady.

"Silence," said Felton, "I hear footsteps."

"We are discovered!"

There was a silence of several seconds.

"No," said Felton, "it is nothing."

"But what, then, is the noise?"

"That of the patrol going their rounds."

"Where is their road?"

"Just under us."

"They will discover us!"

"No, if it does not lighten."

"But they will run against the bottom of the ladder."

"Fortunately it is too short by six feet."

"Here they are! My God!"

"Silence!"

Both remained suspended, motionless and breathless, within twentypaces of the ground, while the patrol passed beneath themlaughing and talking. This was a terrible moment for thefugitives.

The patrol passed. The noise of their retreating footsteps andthe murmur of their voices soon died away.

"Now," said Felton, "we are safe."

Milady breathed a deep sigh and fainted.

Felton continued to descend. Near the bottom of the ladder, whenhe found no more support for his feet, he clung with his hands;at length, arrived at the last step, he let himself hang by thestrength of his wrists, and touched the ground. He stooped down,picked up the bag of money, and placed it between his teeth.Then he took Milady in his arms, and set off briskly in thedirection opposite to that which the patrol had taken. He soonleft the pathway of the patrol, descended across the rocks, andwhen arrived on the edge of the sea, whistled.

A similar signal replied to him; and five minutes after, a boatappeared, rowed by four men.

The boat approached as near as it could to the shore; but therewas not depth enough of water for it to touch land. Feltonwalked into the sea up to his middle, being unwilling to trusthis precious burden to anybody.

Fortunately the storm began to subside, but still the sea wasdisturbed. The little boat bounded over the waves like a nut-shell.

"To the sloop," said Felton, "and row quickly."

The four men bent to their oars, but the sea was too high to letthem get much hold of it.

However, they left the castle behind; that was the principalthing. The night was extremely dark. It was almost impossibleto see the shore from the boat; they would therefore be lesslikely to see the boat from the shore.

A black point floated on the sea. That was the sloop. While theboat was advancing with all the speed its four rowers could giveit, Felton untied the cord and then the handkerchief which boundMilady's hands together. When her hands were loosed he took somesea water and sprinkled it over her face.

Milady breathed a sigh, and opened her eyes.

"Where am I?" said she.

"Saved!" replied the young officer.

"Oh, saved, saved!" cried she. "Yes, there is the sky; here isthe sea! The air I breathe is the air of liberty! Ah, thanks,Felton, thanks!"

The young man pressed her to his heart.

"But what is the matter with my hands!" asked Milady; "it seemsas if my wrists had been crushed in a vice."

Milady held out her arms; her wrists were bruised.

"Alas!" said Felton, looking at those beautiful hands, andshaking his head sorrowfully.

"Oh, it's nothing, nothing!" cried Milady. "I remember now."

Milady looked around her, as if in search of something.

"It is there," said Felton, touching the bag of money with hisfoot.

They drew near to the sloop. A sailor on watch hailed the boat;the boat replied.

"What vessel is that?" asked Milady.

"The one I have hired for you."

"Where will it take me?"

"Where you please, after you have put me on shore at Portsmouth."

"What are you going to do at Portsmouth?" asked Milady.

"Accomplish the orders of Lord de Winter," said Felton, with agloomy smile.

"What orders?" asked Milady.

"You do not understand?" asked Felton.

"No; explain yourself, I beg."

"As he mistrusted me, he determined to guard you himself, andsent me in his place to get Buckingham to sign the order for yourtransportation."

"But if he mistrusted you, how could he confide such an order toyou?"

"How could I know what I was the bearer of?"

"That's true! And you are going to Portsmouth?"

"I have no time to lose. Tomorrow is the twenty-third, andBuckingham sets sail tomorrow with his fleet."

"He sets sail tomorrow! Where for?"

"For La Rochelle."

"He need not sail!" cried Milady, forgetting her usual presenceof mind.

"Be satisfied," replied Felton; "he will not sail."

Milady started with joy. She could read to the depths of theheart of this young man; the death of Buckingham was writtenthere at full length.

"Felton," cried she, "you are as great as Judas Maccabeus! Ifyou die, I will die with you; that is all I can say to you."

"Silence!" cried Felton; "we are here."

In fact, they touched the sloop.

Felton mounted the ladder first, and gave his hand to Milady,while the sailors supported her, for the sea was still muchagitated.

An instant after they were on the deck.

"Captain," said Felton, "this is person of whom I spoke to you,and whom you must convey safe and sound to France."

"For a thousand pistoles," said the captain.

"I have paid you five hundred of them."

"That's correct," said the captain.

"And here are the other five hundred," replied Milady, placingher hand upon the bag of gold.

"No," said the captain, "I make but one bargain; and I haveagreed with this young man that the other five hundred shall notbe due to me till we arrive at Boulogne."

"And shall we arrive there?"

"Safe and sound, as true as my name's Jack Butler."

"Well," said Milady, "if you keep your word, instead of fivehundred, I will give you a thousand pistoles."

"Hurrah for you, then, my beautiful lady," cried the captain;"and may God often send me such passengers as your Ladyship!"

"Meanwhile," said Felton, "convey me to the little bay of - ; youknow it was agreed you should put in there."

The captain replied by ordering the necessary maneuvers, andtoward seven o'clock in the morning the little vessel cast anchorin the bay that had been named.

During this passage, Felton related everything to Milady - how,instead of going to London, he had chartered the little vessel;how he had returned; how he had scaled the wall by fasteningcramps in the interstices of the stones, as he ascended, to givehim foothold; and how, when he had reached the bars, he fastenedhis ladder. Milady knew the rest.

On her side, Milady tried to encourage Felton in his project; butat the first words which issued from her mouth, she plainly sawthat the young fanatic stood more in need of being moderated thanurged.

It was agreed that Milady should wait for Felton till teno'clock; if he did not return by ten o'clock she was to sail.

In that case, and supposing he was at liberty, he was to rejoinher in France, at the convent of the Carmelites at Bethune.