"
"Faster, sir! Faster! Ah, I pray you go faster!" exclaimed John, whose
heart was eaten up with anxiety as he saw the chateau roaring with
flames. But he did not need the general's glasses now to see the people
stream from it, and then rush for refuge from the fire of the French.
The surprise had been so thorough that at this point the enemy was able
to offer little resistance, and, in a few moments more, the automobile
reached the grounds surrounding the burning chateau.
John, reckless of commands and of everything else, leaped out of the
machine and ran forward. A gigantic man bearing a slender figure in his
arms emerged from the shrubbery. Behind him came a stalwart young woman,
grim of face. John shouted with joy. It was Picard, carrying Julie, and
the woman who followed was the faithful Suzanne.
Picard put Julie down. She stood erect, pale as death. But the color
flooded into her face when she saw John, and uttering a cry of joy she
ran forward to meet him. She put her hands in his and said:
"I knew that you would save me!"
Time and place were extraordinary, and war, the great leveler, was once
more at work.
"The chateau was set on fire by shells, Monsieur Scott," Picard said,
"and when the enemy saw the French force appearing across the fields
they took to flight. That dog of a prince, the Auersperg, tried to carry
off Mademoiselle Julie in his automobile, but the young prince
interfered and while they were quarreling I seized her and took her
away.
Pages:
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312