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They had been following the line of the shore, winding along, when the man suddenly directed her up a small trail that led inland, over soht on a sturdy bra the le her Instead the hard object jabbed her in the back again and she stu ripping sound Now her back felt as if it were on fire

Her eyes were pricked with tears, but if she hadn’t wept over Rupert’s death--or notshe would cry over was this farcical situation Not dangerous, she told herself; rather it was farcical Quin would save her Thewas that Quin ith Rupert

Furthermore, Rupert wasn’t in that smelly hut, but in a proper bed, on the Day Dream, with Quin If there was one person she would want to sit next to her deathbed, it would be Quin, with his honest eyes and the reassuring low bell-sound of his voice

After what felt like hours, they sturavel yard, on the far side of which lay a two-story brick building surrounded by a wall A sentry stood at the gate in the wall

"Who goes there?" he said, without much interest

All of a sudden Olivia felt utterly cal They had arrived sorave;re Blanchard’s hut" Her captor’s voice was toneless, and accoate

Olivia almost fell at the feet of the sentry He was slim and weary, with a mustache so luxuriant that it looked as if his face had sprouted wings

"I aled by the scarf She was fairly sure that a putain was the French word for a struht-walker Whatever it was, she was certain that it wasn’t nice

The sentry narrowed his eyes at her and then glanced at theher here?" he wanted to know "Send her back to the village"

"She isn’t fronize her" Olivia lifted her chin and gave the sentry a fierce stare, willing him to order the scarf removed so that she could speak

"Pretty," he said, not noticing her glower--likely because he was too busy staring at her chest "Take that cloak off, Bessette"

With a jerk the cloak disappeared froe," the sentry said, with a toothy s your wares, Madame?"

Furious, she shook her head

"Just another ife" He pulled on his mustache until his face looked lopsided "What’s the world co to? Le Capitaine or Madame Fantomas?"

"Madame No need to bother Le Capitaine with this one Think we can get twenty francs off her husband for retrieving her? See this cloak? Nice eoisie Madame will decide Take that scarf off her mouth, Bessette I have to make sure she’s not a spy Le Capitaine would want to know"