With a strange sinking at the heart I asked about our horses.
"They will be attended to, my sirs; my servant is a good boy. He is
handy, although he can't get about lively, for he was thrown in a turnip
field from our only donkey."
I was in no mood for this sort of chatter and quizzed the fellow as to
our beds.
"We must be off early in the morning; we have important business to
transact at Amboise before the sun sets to-morrow," I testily remarked.
"At Amboise--h'm, h'm! Well, I don't mind telling you that you can reach
Amboise by stroke of noon; and so you have business at Amboise, eh?"
I saw Michael's brow lower at this wheedling little man's question, and
answered rather hastily and imprudently:--
"Yes, business, my good man, important business, as you will see when we
return this road to-morrow night with the prize we are after."
Michael jumped up and cried "Damnation!" and I at once saw my mistake.
The landlord's manner instantly altered. He looked at me triumphantly
and said:--
"Beds, beds! but, my honoured sirs, I have no beds in the house.
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