“I shall see you again, then, my lord?” asked Athos.

“That is agreed upon, monsieur, and with much pleasure.”

Monk held out his hand to Athos.

“Ah! my lord, if you would!” murmured Athos.

“Hush! monsieur, it is agreed that we shall speak no more of that.”  And bowing to Athos, he went up the stairs, meeting about half-way his men, who were coming down.  He had not gone twenty paces, when a faint but prolonged whistle was heard at a distance.  Monk listened, but seeing nothing and hearing nothing, he continued his route.  Then he remembered the fisherman, and looked about for him; but the fisherman had disappeared.  If he had, however, looked with more attention, he might have seen that man, bent double, gliding like a serpent along the stones and losing himself in the mist that floated over the surface of the marsh.  He might equally have seen, had he attempted to pierce that mist, a spectacle that might have attracted his attention; and that was the rigging of the vessel, which had changed place, and was now nearer the shore.  But Monk saw nothing; and thinking he had nothing to fear, he entered the deserted causeway which led to his camp.  It was then that the disappearance of the fisherman appeared strange, and that a real suspicion began to take possession of his mind.  He had just placed at the orders of Athos the only post that could protect him.  He had a mile of causeway to traverse before he could regain his camp.  The fog increased with such intensity that he could scarcely distinguish objects at ten paces’ distance.  Monk then thought he heard the sound of an oar over the marsh on the right.  “Who goes there?” said he.

But nobody answered; then he cocked his pistol, took his sword in his hand, and quickened his pace, without, however, being willing to call anybody.  Such a summons, for which there was no absolute necessity, appeared unworthy of him.

Chapter XXVII:  The Next Day.

It was seven o’clock in the morning, the first rays of day lightened the pools of the marsh, in which the sun was reflected like a red ball, when Athos, awakening and opening the window of his bed-chamber, which looked out upon the banks of the river, perceived, at fifteen paces’ distance from him, the sergeant and the men who had accompanied him the evening before, and who, after having deposited the casks at his house, had returned to the camp by the causeway on the right.

Why had these men come back after having returned to the camp?  That was the question which first presented itself to Athos.  The sergeant, with his head raised, appeared to be watching the moment when the gentleman should appear to address him.  Athos, surprised to see these men, whom he had seen depart the night before, could not refrain from expressing his astonishment to them.

“There is nothing surprising in that, monsieur,” said the sergeant; “for yesterday the general commanded me to watch over your safety, and I thought it right to obey that order.”