The count hastened from his observatory.
First he wakened Henry.
"Robbers have broken into the manor, Henry!"
"The rascals certainly chose a good time to do it; now that the moon is
in shadow, no one will see them," sleepily returned Henry.
"I saw them, and I am going to scare them away."
"We can fire off our guns from here; that will scare them," suggested
Henry.
"Are you out of your senses, Henry? We should frighten Marie; and were
she to learn that there are robbers in the neighborhood, she would want
to go away from here, and you know we are chained to this place."
"Yes; then I don't know what we can do. Shall I go down and rouse the
village?"
"So that you may be called on to testify before a court, and be
compelled to tell who you are, what you are, and how you came here?"
impatiently interposed the count.
"That is true. Then I can't raise an alarm?"
"Certainly not. Do as I tell you. Stop here in the castle, take your
station in front of Marie's door, and I will go over to the manor. Give
me your walking-stick."
"What? You are going after the robbers with a walking-stick?"
"They are only petty thieves; they are not real robbers.
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