‘I presume, madame, that this is your husband’s coat,’ I remarked.  ’You will, I am sure, forgive me, if I am compelled to—­’ I pulled it through the window as I spoke.

I could not bear to see the look of surprise and fear and disgust which came over her face.

‘Oh, I have been mistaken in you!’ she cried.  ’You came to rob me, then, and not to help me.  You have the bearing of a gentleman, and yet you steal my husband’s coat.’

‘Madame,’ said I, ’I beg that you will not condemn me until you know everything.  It is quite necessary that I should take this coat, but if you will have the goodness to tell me who it is who is fortunate enough to be your husband, I shall see that the coat is sent back to him.’

Her face softened a little, though she still tried to look severe.  ’My husband,’ she answered, ’is Sir Charles Meredith, and he is travelling to Dartmoor Prison, upon important Government business.  I only ask you, sir, to go upon your way, and to take nothing which belongs to him.’

‘There is only one thing which belongs to him that I covet,’ said I.

‘And you have taken it from the carriage,’ she cried.

‘No,’ I answered.  ‘It still remains there.’

She laughed in her frank English way.

’If, instead of paying me compliments, you were to return my husband’s coat—­’ she began.

‘Madame,’ I answered, ’what you ask is quite impossible.  If you will allow me to come into the carriage, I will explain to you how necessary this coat is to me.’

Heaven knows into what foolishness I might have plunged myself had we not, at this instant, heard a faint halloa in the distance, which was answered by a shout from the little post-boy.  In the rain and the darkness, I saw a lantern some distance from us, but approaching rapidly.

‘I am sorry, madame, that I am forced to leave you,’ said I.  ’You can assure your husband that I shall take every care of his coat.’  Hurried as I was, I ventured to pause a moment to salute the lady’s hand, which she snatched through the window with an admirable pretence of being offended at my presumption.  Then, as the lantern was quite close to me, and the post-boy seemed inclined to interfere with my flight, I tucked my precious overcoat under my arm, and dashed off into the darkness.

And now I set myself to the task of putting as broad a stretch of moor between the prison and myself as the remaining hours of darkness would allow.  Setting my face to the wind once more, I ran until I fell from exhaustion.  Then, after five minutes of panting among the heather, I made another start, until again my knees gave way beneath me.  I was young and hard, with muscles of steel, and a frame which had been toughened by twelve years of camp and field.  Thus I was able to keep up this wild flight for another three hours, during which I still guided myself, you understand, by keeping the wind in my face.