The fear of him was
with her now, and would not depart until he himself swept it away by
the first word he spoke.
He came out from beneath the trees, made a few steps forward, and
then stopped. Again Desiree lingered, and Barlasch, who was
naturally impatient, turned and took her by the arm.
"Is it the snow--that you find slippery?" he asked, not requiring an
answer. A moment later Louis came forward.
"There is nothing but bad news," he said laconically. "Barlasch
will have told you; but there is no need to give up hope. The army
has reached the Niemen; the rearguard has quitted Vilna. There is
nothing for it but to go and look for him."
"Who will go?" she asked quietly.
"I."
He was looking at her with grave eyes trained to darkness. But she
looked past him towards the sky, which was faintly lighted by the
aurora. Her averted eyes and rigid attitude were not without some
suggestion of guilt.
"My ship is ice-bound at Reval," said D'Arragon, in a matter-of-fact
way. "They have no use for me until the winter is over, and they
have given me three months' leave."
"To go to England?" she asked.
"To go anywhere I like," he said, with a short laugh. "So I am
going to look for Charles, and Barlasch will come with me."
"At a price," put in that soldier, in a shrewd undertone. "At a
price."
"A small one," corrected Louis, turning to look at him with the
close attention of one exploring a new country.
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