“’At that instant I put out my hand to take the glass of lemonade the Spaniard had drunk of.  He, thinking that I was about to take one of the full glasses, sprang forward like a cat, and laid his long dagger over the two poisoned goblets, leaving me his own, and signing to me to drink what was left.  So much was conveyed by this quick action, and it was so full of good feeling, that I forgave him his atrocious schemes for killing me, and thus burying every trace of this event.

“’After two hours of care and alarms, the maid and I put her mistress to bed.  The lover, forced into so perilous an adventure, had, to provide means in case of having to fly, a packet of diamonds stuck to paper; these he put into my pocket without my knowing it; and I may add parenthetically, that as I was ignorant of the Spaniard’s magnificent gift, my servant stole the jewels the day after, and went off with a perfect fortune.

“’I whispered my instructions to the waiting-woman as to the further care of her patient, and wanted to be gone.  The maid remained with her mistress, which was not very reassuring, but I was on my guard.  The lover made a bundle of the dead infant and the blood-stained clothes, tying it up tightly, and hiding it under his cloak; he passed his hand over my eyes as if to bid me to see nothing, and signed to me to take hold of the skirt of his coat.  He went first out of the room, and I followed, not without a parting glance at my lady of an hour.  She, seeing the Spaniard had gone out, snatched off her mask and showed me an exquisite face.

“’When I found myself in the garden, in the open air, I confess that I breathed as if a heavy load had been lifted from my breast.  I followed my guide at a respectful distance, watching his least movement with keen attention.  Having reached the little door, he took my hand and pressed a seal to my lips, set in a ring which I had seen him wearing on a finger of his left hand, and I gave him to understand that this significant sign would be obeyed.  In the street two horses were waiting; we each mounted one.  My Spaniard took my bridle, held his own between his teeth, for his right hand held the bloodstained bundle, and we went off at lightning speed.

“’I could not see the smallest object by which to retrace the road we came by.  At dawn I found myself close by my own door, and the Spaniard fled towards the Atocha gate.’

“’And you saw nothing which could lead you to suspect who the woman was whom you had attended?’ the Colonel asked of the surgeon.

“‘One thing only,’ he replied.  ’When I turned the unknown lady over, I happened to remark a mole on her arm, about half-way down, as big as a lentil, and surrounded with brown hairs.’—­At this instant the rash speaker turned pale.  All our eyes, that had been fixed on his, followed his glance, and we saw a Spaniard, whose glittering eyes shone through a clump of orange-trees.  On finding himself the object of our attention, the man vanished with the swiftness of a sylph.  A young captain rushed in pursuit.