Only pride, and, perhaps, in a degree also, appetite for
a fight, had prevented me borrowing ten troopers instead of two.
As was wont I looked with a lingering eye and many memories at
the little bridge, the narrow woodland path, the first roofs of
the village; all now familiar, all seen for the last time. Up
the brook a party of soldiers were dragging for the captain's
body. A furlong farther on, a cottage, burned by some
carelessness in the night, lay a heap of black ashes. Louis ran
beside us weeping; the last brown leaves fluttered down in
showers. And between my eyes and all, the slow steady rain fell
and fell. And so I left Cocheforet.
Louis went with us to a point a mile beyond the village, and
there stood and saw us go, cursing me furiously as I passed.
Looking back when we had ridden on, I still saw him standing, and
after a moment's hesitation I rode back to him.
'Listen, fool!' I said, cutting him short in the midst of his
mowing and snarling, 'and give this message to your mistress.
Tell her from me that it will be with her husband as it was with
M. de Regnier, when he fell into the hands of his enemy--no
better and no worse.
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