A little before the
appointed time, however I made a pretext to rise from supper, and
quietly calling out Boisrueil, bade him bring four of the men,
armed, and Maignan and La Trape. With this small body I made my
way out by a private door, and crossed the park to the place
Mademoiselle had, indicated.
Happily, night had already begun to close in, and the rendezvous
was at the farther side of the clump of trees. Favoured by these
circumstances, we were able to pass round the thicket--some on
one side and some on the other---without noise or disturbance;
and fortunate enough, having arrived at the place, to discover a
man walking uneasily up and down on the very spot where we
expected to find him. The evening was so far advanced that it
was not possible to be sure that the man was Vilain; but as all
depended on seizing him before he had any communication with the
Spanish agent, I gave the signal, and two of my men, springing on
him from either side, in a moment bore him to the ground and
secured him.
He proved to be Vilain, so that, when he was brought face to face
with me, I was much less surprised than he affected to be.
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