“I had forgotten them.”

“I had not, but it was Monsieur’s pleasure to go slowly; to stop for the views, to look at the ruined torts, and to trace the old road.  We gave them time to get far ahead.  I was always watching, but never saw them.  The anes had more endurance than I thought, and as for that Innocentina, she is a daughter of Satan; she would know no fatigue.”

“It would be like that little brat to gobble up the one spare room of the Cantine as he did the one chicken of the ‘Dejeuner,’” I muttered.  “But we shall see what we shall see.”

We went on more rapidly, and soon arrived at the bottom of a steep flight of stone steps which led up to the door of the Cantine.  A man came forward to greet us—­a fine fellow, with the frank and lofty bearing of one whose life is passed in high altitudes.

“Can we have supper and accommodation for the night at your house?” I asked.

“Supper, most certainly, and with pleasure,” came the courteous answer, “though we have only plain fare to offer.  But the one spare room we have for our occasional guests, has just been taken by a young English or American gentleman.  The woman who drives the two donkeys with which they travel, will have a bed in the room of my sister, and we could find sleeping place of a sort for your muleteer; but I fear we have no way of making Monsieur comfortable.”

I was filled with rage against the wretch who had robbed me of a decent meal, and would now filch from me a night’s rest.

“We have walked a long way,” I said, “and are tired.  We might have stopped at St. Pierre, but preferred to come on to you.  It is now too dark to go back, or go on.  Surely there are two beds in your spare room, and as you keep an inn, and pretend to give bed and board to travellers, you are bound to arrange for my accommodation.”

“The young monsieur pays for the two beds in the spare room, in order to secure the whole for himself alone,” replied the landlord.  “Not expecting any other guests, we agreed to this; but the youth is perhaps a countryman of yours, and rather than you should go further, or spend a night of discomfort, he will probably consent to let you share the room.”

“He shall consent, or I will know the reason why,” I said to myself fiercely; but aloud I merely answered that I would be glad of a few minutes’ conversation with the young gentleman.

My host led me to the house door, introduced me to a handsome sister, who was my hostess, explained to her the situation, with the view of it we had arrived at, and descended to show Joseph where to shelter Finois.