Belle Rose: A Romance of the Cloak and Sword — page 231: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A SCENE UPON THE OCEAN. 215 The officer drew his commission from his pocket; Boule- tord snatched it from him and took his departure. Bouletord knew Monsieur de Louvois by reputation; with such a minister success was a sure passport to approval. At the moment of the flight, Bouletord had remarked the direction which Belle-Rose and his friends had followed. The road they had taken led toIvry. A good woman who was gathering grass for her cow had seen three cavaliers flying in the direction of St. Mandé. At St. Mandé a child who was robbing an orchard had heard the noise of their flight over the route to Charonne; at Bagnolet they had stopped at a blacksmith’s who had drawn a nail from a horse’s shoe. Thus, from village to village, Bouletord had arrived upon the route to St. Denis. ‘They are going to England!”’ he said to himself. The commission, signed by the minister and sealed with the seal of state, made him obeyed by the police; he took men in each city and left them at the next. The accident which had happened to Belle-Rose and also to Cornelius caused him to recover the ground which they had gained at first. At Cormont, Bouletord reached the fugitives; we have seen how he passed on by them. Belle-Rose was scarcely three or four leagues from the sea; the only thing now was to reach some fishing hamlet where they could find a bark in which to cross the channel. The carriage advanced rapidly. As they reached the summit of a hill, Cornelius, who was looking before him, exclaimed: ‘*The sea! the sea!’’ But at the same moment Déroute, who was looking behind, exclaimed: ‘‘Bouletord! Bouletord!’’ The sea beat against the shore at one or two leagues from the hill; Bouletord was coming up at full speed. Déroute leaped upon the horses and stopped them. **Quick! get out!’’ he exclaimed. In three strokes of the knife he had cut the traces. Belle-Rose and Cornelius were already in the road; the bridles and bits were all that was left upon the horses, and the two officers, mounting bareback, followed Déroute who was flying at full speed. The sun was about to set; the sea was rolling its golden waves, and on the horizon were seen white sails like wings of birds; in the distance roared the great billows which beat against the coast. Turn by turn the fugitives looked at the sea, where their safety lay, and at Bouletord in hot pursuit of them. Bouletord had seen the carriage; the action of the travel- ers had caused them to be recognized; just as Belle-Rose and Cornelius were leaving at a gallop, a cry of rage burst Gomicboo Ss (elo)