The sky was full of stars and the half moon was hanging. A caravan was parked on the grass beside the road, the shutters on the car were closed, and the shafts of the car were like two outstretched arms.In the shadow of the ditch a horse was panting. In the distance, above the dark hilltop, a line of fish white heralds the approaching dawn.The church clock struck four.The birds woke up and began to chirp and sing from here to there.The weather is mild and pleasant. Suddenly, in the caravan, a woman's voice shouted: "Saint Quentin! Saint Quentin!" Then, a head protruded from the transom under the canopy facing the driver's seat.

"It must be so, as I expected! The rascal slipped out in the night. Beast! You have done a good job!" Several more voices spoke to her.Two or three minutes passed.Then, the back door of the car opened, and a figure stepped down the five steps. At the same time, two little heads with fluffy hair protruded from the side window. "Dorotay! Where are you going?" "Go to Saint-Quentin!" replied the woman named Dorothy. "He went for a walk last night, didn't he come back with you, I watched him sleep." "Castor, you see he's gone." "Where did he go?"

"Don't worry! I've found him and I'm going to grab his ears and come back." However, the two children jumped out of the caravan in single clothes, begging, "Don't go, Mother Dorothy...it's so dark, don't go out alone, it's too dangerous..." "Pollux, what nonsense are you talking about? It's dangerous! Do you care about this?" She slapped them lightly, kicked them twice, and hurried them back to the car.They quickly got into the car, and she stepped on a small bench, put her face against the heads of the two children, and kissed and kissed tenderly.

"Don't be afraid, boy. What's the danger? I'll have Saint-Quentin back in half an hour." "Well done! . . . Saint-Quentin . . . not sixteen years old . . . " "Pollux and Castor are both twenty years old, that's just two people put together!" said Dorothy. "Why does he keep wandering around at night? This is not the first time... I don't know where he went?" "Go get the hare," she said. "Anyway, it's not a big deal... Well, enough is said. Go to bed, boy. Don't fight, Castor, Pollux, do you hear me? Be quiet! The captain is still here Sleep, he doesn't like people waking him up!"

She left the caravan, crossed the ditch, and crossed a meadow, pattering in puddles of water.Then she walked onto a path lined with small trees a head shorter than her.The day before, having walked with her friend Saint-Quentin, she had walked twice up and down the path, which was not so well laid out, so she proceeded boldly without any scruples.She crossed two roads and came to a small river, the bed of which was covered with small white pebbles gleaming under the calm water.As the shapes of all things began to emerge in the light of dawn, she moved through the woods again, lithe, graceful, nimble, with a short skirt showing her stockingless legs, and streamers fluttering behind her.

She ran lightly, trying not to twist her ankle, and the ground was dead leaves and early spring wildflowers, lilies of the valley, purple anemones, white daffodils. Her black hair is kept short, parted left and right, like two flapping wings as she runs.Her smile, slightly opened mouth, fluttering nose, and half-closed eyes show that she likes to run and breathe the fresh air in the morning.Gray coarse cloth gown, with an orange silk scarf around the collar, revealing a slender and soft neck.He looked about fifteen or sixteen years old. Get out of the woods.The valley between the two rock walls suddenly turned sharply.Dorothy stopped abruptly.She is where she wants to be.

In front of her, on a neatly cut granite base no more than thirty meters high, stands the main part of the circular castle.The castle itself has no style at all, but judging from its location and the arrangement of the buildings, it has the style of a noble mansion.On the left and right, the valley converges into a ravine that surrounds the castle like an old moat.However, the space in front of Dorotai is still quite large, forming a slightly undulating open land, full of abrupt boulders, thorn bushes spread among the stones, and further ahead is the almost vertical cliff of the granite base.

"The clock strikes a quarter past five," thought the girl, "and Saint-Quentin must have appeared." She crouched behind the trunk of a large uprooted tree, her eyes fixed on the dividing line between the castle and the rocky base.Under the windows on the ground floor there was a ledge parallel to the dividing line, and a very narrow cut across the cliff, like a crack in the wall, continued to the ledge below the window. The day before, when they were walking, Saint-Quentin had pointed to the narrow cut and said: "Some people think they are safe, but in fact it is not easy to climb those windows ... Look, there is a window that is half-closed ... ...the kitchen window..."

Dorothy believed that Saint-Quentin had already had the idea of ​​climbing the castle, and would do it secretly that night.I don't know how he is now?Was there no one in the room he broke into?Was he caught, neither familiar with the places he ventured to nor the habits of the castle's master?Or, is he waiting for dawn? She was distraught.Time passed minute by minute.Although there is no road in the small ravine, when Saint-Quentin ventures down, it is much more difficult than climbing up. Who can guarantee that no peasants pass by nearby! Suddenly, she shivered.It seems that the more you are afraid of danger, the more danger you will attract.There was the sound of heavy footsteps along the ravine, as if coming from the main gate of the manor.Dorotai hurriedly hid behind the tree roots, and the big tree covered her body.She saw a man in a long overcoat, with a large gray scarf wrapped around his face, and a pair of fur gloves, with a gun tucked under his arm.

She thought it was a hunter, or a poacher, because he looked furtive, looking around as he walked, as if afraid of being spotted, and changing his steps from time to time just in case.He walked to the wall and stood down, about 50 or 60 meters away from where Saint-Quentin climbed up. He looked at the ground, walked around a few flat stone slabs, and then bent down. Finally, he made up his mind, selected one of the stone slabs, grabbed the thinner end, and erected it like a prehistoric megalithic building.Below the slab is a large hole.There is a shovel next to the hole.He picked up the shovel and dug the hole a little bigger, being very careful not to make any noise.

After another few minutes, Dorothy was anxious and frightened, and the inevitable thing finally appeared: the window that Saint-Quentin climbed into last night, the sash was pushed open, and a long figure climbed up the window sill.He was wearing a tuxedo and a tall hat, and from a distance it could be seen that his clothes and hat were greasy and shiny and full of patches. Clinging to the wall, Saint-Quentin slowly slid down from the window and planted his feet on the cornice.At this moment, Dorothy, hiding behind the man in the long coat, almost stood up, and signaled to her companion to be careful.In fact, gesturing was useless.Because the man had already seen the ghost lying on the cliff, he put down the shovel and got into the hole. Besides, Saint-Quentin was so engrossed in his work that he could not care about what was going on below, and he had to turn around to see the gesture, which he could not do at this moment.He let out a rope, which he had evidently picked up in the castle, and looped it over the window rail like a pulley, and the ends of the rope hung down the cliff.In this way, relying on these two ropes, there is no difficulty in getting down from the castle. Dorothei was concerned about missing the man in the overcoat, so he immediately crawled forward.Looking at the edge of the hole, she almost cried out: down there, as if in a trench, the man was pointing in the direction of Saint-Quentin, with his gun resting on the mound in front of him. Shout or not?Warn St. Quentin?It just speeds things up and exposes him to a handicapped fight with a man with a gun.However, action must be taken.Ahead, Saint-Quentin was in a crevice in the cliff, as in the pipe of a chimney.The bony black figure was exposed, including the tall hat that was folded and folded to cover the ears. The man aimed the gun for a long time.Dorotai ran forward and pushed the big stone slab behind him with all his strength.The stone slab was not very stable.As soon as she exerted force, the stone slab fell, covering the hole like a lid.The slate suppressed the gun and shut the man in the overcoat.The girl saw the man's head lowered, and his shoulders shrank into the hole. She knew very well that it was only a matter of time to fight back, and the enemy would soon escape from this coffin.So she hurried towards the cleft of the cliff, just as Saint-Quentin hit the ground at the same time. "Quick... hurry..." she said, "run..." He was taken aback, grabbed one end of the rope and put it away, muttering, "What? What's the matter? How do you know I'm here?" She grabbed him. "Run, idiot! . . . someone saw you . . . he's aiming a gun at you . . . he's coming up . . . " "What are you talking about? Chasing us? Who?" "A man disguised as a peasant, there, in the hole. He aimed his gun at you like a turtledove, and I held him down with a stone slab." "But……" "Do as I tell you, idiot, and put on the rope. No footprints." Before the slab was lifted, the two of them ran desperately along the valley, neither speaking, and quickly entered the grove. Twenty minutes later, they reached the creek, and walked along the water for a while, until they reached a place covered with gravel, so as not to leave any traces. After landing, St. Quentin was about to run, but Dorothy stood there, leaning back and laughing. "What's the matter with you?" he asked. "What's the matter? What's the matter?" She laughed so hard she couldn't speak.With his hands folded in front of his chest, his whole body was trembling, his face was flushed, revealing two rows of neat, small white teeth.Finally, pointing at him with one hand, she said brokenly: "Your tall hat... tailcoat... two bare feet... that's ridiculous! Where did you steal that outfit? . . . so funny!" There was silence all around, only the leaves were shaking slightly, and her laughter was particularly crisp and loud.In front of him was the clumsy young man Saint-Quentin who had grown taller in a blink of an eye. He had a very pale complexion, yellow hair, a large mouth, and protruding ears, but his black eyes were full of tenderness.He was very happy, and looked at the girl with a smile. He was afraid that the girl would lose her temper, but it seemed that everything was resolved in this way. The fact that she flung herself on her friend suddenly, her fists came down on him like drumsticks, and she kept blaming him, but not seriously, and laughing all the time, made her actions totally unpunishable. meaning. "Brave! Scoundrel! You're stealing again, eh! You're out of money, sir! You're stealing money, jewels, and tall hats now? What did you steal, you mouse? Huh? Tell me now." !" She laughed while beating, and the anger in her heart finally disappeared.She went on, and Saint-Quentin, feeling very ashamed, stammered: "Should I tell? Why? As usual, you guessed it... Well, yes, I climbed in through the window last night... Then It's the washroom, at the end of the corridor that leads to the downstairs rooms...no one is there...the masters are eating...a staircase used by the servants takes me to another circular corridor, the rooms The doors all opened to the corridor. I looked. I found nothing. Or just some paintings, something too big and heavy. So I went into a storage room and saw a small living room, a The room, the prettiest one. They danced late and went back upstairs...all very nice people...I saw it through the transom...the ladies were bare-chested and the men well-dressed ...Finally, a lady walked into the small living room. She took off the jewelry and put them in a box, put the box in a small safe, and when she opened the safe, she was still saying the three letters on the lock: ROB... When she left the living room to go When I was in the room, I used these three letters... Then, I waited for the dawn... I dare not come down..." "Show me," she ordered. He stretched out his hand, and in the palm of his hand were two earrings studded with sapphires.She took it over and looked at it, her face twitched, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she murmured, even her voice changed: "It's so beautiful, these sapphires!... At night, the sky sometimes has this color... ...blackish blue and radiant..." At this time, they happened to pass through a farmland, and there was a simple scarecrow in the field, wearing only a pair of trousers, with two brooms as arms, and a coat hanging on one of the arms.These were Saint-Quentin's clothes, which he had hung up here the night before, having borrowed his tailcoat and tall hat from the Scarecrow so as not to be recognized.He took off his tailcoat, put the Scarecrow back on, put his hat back on, then put on his own clothes, and at two paces he overtook Dorothei. She looked at the gemstone for a long time, with a look of admiration on her face.He leaned over to her and said, "Keep it, Dorothee. You know I'm not a thief, I did it for you...to make you happy looking at them...touching them...seeing you like a I am so sorry that the poor are busy all day long! Let you perform on the wire! You, Dorothee! Do everything for you!" She looked up at him and said, "Say, are you willing to do anything for me?" "I'm willing to do anything, Dorothy." "Well, then, I want you to be an honest man, Saint-Quentin." They went on, and the girl said again: "St. Quentin, be an honest man, that's all I ask of you. You, and the other children of the caravan, I take you in, because you are wars as much as I am Orphans. For two years, we traveled together, more joy than pain, we played together, and all in all, we could still eat. However, there should be no misunderstanding between us. I only like things that are clean and clear, like Something that shines like the sun. Are you like me? This is the third time you stole something to please me. Is that the end? If yes, I forgive you. Otherwise, we go our separate ways thing." She spoke very seriously, and to emphasize her tone, she nodded once she said a word, and her two wings-like locks of hair fluttered at the same time. St. Quentin was taken aback and begged, "You don't want me anymore?" "Yes. However, you must promise not to repeat the offense." "I promise." "Forget it then. I can tell you're telling the truth. Put the jewel away and stash it in the basket under the caravan. You'll send it back from the post office next week. That's Chaney, isn't it?" " "Yes, I see the name of the hostess on the card: Comtesse de Chany." They continued walking hand in hand, during which, in order to avoid encountering the peasants, they found a place to hide twice.Finally, after a few turns, they were not far from the caravan. "Listen," said Saint-Quentin, pricking up his ears. "Well, yes, Castor and Pollux are fighting again. Those two scoundrels!" He rushed towards the caravan. "Saint Quentin," cried the girl, "don't beat them!" "As for yourself, you don't hit them!" "Not bad, but they like me to fight." Before St. Quentin approached, the two children who were dueling with wooden knives just now turned around and confronted the enemy together, shouting loudly: "Dorothet! Mama Dorothe! Don't let St. Quentin come over. He is not human. Help!" Then, there was a mouth to the east and a mouth to the west, plus bursts of laughter and hugs. "Dolotai, it's my turn to hug me!" "Dorotay, it's time to slap my face!" However, the girl scolded, "Where's the captain? You must have woken him up?" "Captain? He's sleeping like a dead pig," said Pollux. "Listen, isn't he snoring!" On the side of the road, two children were burning a pile of firewood, with a pot hanging on a tripod.The soup came to a boil, and the four of them ate the steaming soup, bread, and cheese, and each drank a cup of coffee. Dorotai sat firmly on the bench.The three partners didn't let her worry, they stood up and handed her food, all of them were very attentive and attentive, jealous and even hostile to each other.The battle between Castor and Pollux is often caused by the rivalry.Two children—two chubby boys, wearing the same clothes, a pair of shorts, a shirt, and overalls.Though they loved each other as brothers, they often wrestled hostilely when one least expected it, simply because a girl said a particularly nice word to one, or gave the other a particularly affectionate look. As for Saint-Quentin, he hated them from the bottom of his heart.When Dorotai caressed them, he wanted to rush up and break their necks.Dorothy never seemed to have kissed him.He can only be satisfied with a relationship of good friends, full of friendship and trust, expressed at most by a friendly handshake or a knowing smile.The young man felt that this was the only reward he deserved for such a pauper. Saint-Quentin was a loving and loyal man. "Arithmetic class now," said Dorothy. "Saint Quentin, go to sleep for an hour." Castor brought the textbooks.Pollux took out his notebook.Arithmetic lessons were followed by Dorothea's lecture on the Merovingian kings, followed by an astronomy lesson. The two children listened to the class with relish, and Saint-Quentin sat down in his seat with all his energy.Dorothy's teaching method is full of fantasy without distracting you.While teaching, she seems to be learning at the same time.What she taught, uttered in her sweet voice, revealed considerable learning, judgment, and a flexible practical wisdom. At ten o'clock the girl ordered the harness to be harnessed.The distance to a neighboring town was considerable, and they had to arrive in time to secure a good place in front of the town hall. "The captain hasn't eaten yet!" exclaimed Castor. "That's not better," she said. "The captain usually eats too much. This way, he can have a rest. Besides, this captain will lose his temper when someone wakes him up. Let him sleep!" Everyone set off.The one-eyed magpie was pulling the caravan, walking lazily.This is a skinny old horse, but it has a strong body and is quite strong. Because of its dark coat and blind eye, it is called a one-eyed magpie.The caravan was heavy, on two large wheels, and rattled and rattled as it moved.There are boxes, tools, ladders, barrels, and ropes on the cart.The car had just been painted, and there were very exaggerated big signs on both sides of the car: Dorotai Circus Management Department, which made people think that there would be a large group of vehicles arriving later, including circus performers, equipment, luggage and beasts. Saint-Quentin leads the procession, a whip in his hand.Dorotai took the two children by his side, picking wild flowers along the road, or singing marches together, or telling them stories.Half an hour later, they came to an intersection, and she suddenly ordered, "Stop!" "What is it?" asked Saint-Quentin, seeing her reading a sign. "Look," she said. "There's nothing to see. Just keep going. I've seen the map." "Look," she said again. "Xani, two kilometers." "Obviously the estate we went to yesterday is in this village. It's just that we took a short cut through the woods." "You didn't read the whole sign. Shani, two kilometers, Robleigh Manor." She seemed to be touched by something suddenly, and repeated in a low voice: "Robolai...Robolai." "Perhaps the village is called Chagny," said Saint-Quentin, guessing, "and the estate is called Robery. What does that matter to you?" "Nothing... nothing..." she said. "However, you seem to have something on your mind." "No...it's just a coincidence." "What coincidence?" "The name Robery." "Well?……" "Well, it's a name that's stuck in my head...a name that's spoken under very special circumstances." "What special circumstances, Dorothy?" As she pondered, she explained slowly: "Saint-Quentin, think about it. You know, my father died of his wounds in a hospital near Chatelet early in the war. It was too late... All I know is that two wounded people in the same ward told me that he kept repeating a name before he died: Roble... Roble...he kept chanting, like chanting scriptures, As if he himself was not aware of it. At the moment of his death, he was still muttering: Roble... Roble..." "Yes," said Saint-Quentin, "I remember that you told me about it." "Afterwards, I kept wondering what it meant, what happened to poor father on his deathbed that made him so sad. It seemed it wasn't just a matter of brooding... but fear... fear... Why? I have never been able to get an explanation. So, you understand, Saint-Quentin, when I saw the name in front of me, it was clearly written there, and I knew that there was a manor with that name..." St. Quentin was horrified: "Hey! You don't mean to go there?  …" "Why don't you want to?" "Dorotay, you are crazy!" The girl was lost in thought.However, Saint-Quentin knew that she would not give up on this unusual plan, and he had to find a reason to stop her. At this moment, Castor and Pollux ran over: "Mom, there are three caravans ahead." !" Sure enough, three caravans, one after the other, emerged from the path that led to the crossroads between the steep walls, and then onto the road to Robery Hall.The three vehicles are three entertainment stalls, one "Puppet", one "Carbine Shooting", and one "Turtle Turntable". The shooter greeted and asked, "Are you going there too?" "Where?" "Go to the manor, there is a garden party there. Would you like to save a place for you?" "Well, thank you," replied the girl. The group of people who rushed to the meeting left. "What is the matter with you, Saint-Quentin?" asked Dorothy in a low voice. His face was paler than usual. "What's the matter with you?" she asked again. "Your lips are trembling, and your face is turning blue." He stammered, "The police..." Two mounted policemen came out from the path sunken in the steep wall. They passed the intersection and passed in front of them without looking back. "You see," said Dorothy, laughing, "they didn't come to see us." "No matter, but they also go to the manor." "Damn it! There's a celebration there, and two cops are always due." "Unless they find out the earrings are missing and call the police," he said desperately. "Impossible! The mistress won't find out until she's getting dressed tonight." "Anyway, don't go," pleaded the poor boy... "It's tantamount to throwing yourself in a trap... And, there's that man... the man in the hole..." "He's digging his own grave," she replied with a laugh. "What if he's there? What if he recognizes me?" "You were in disguise. The most he could do was catch that scarecrow in a tuxedo and a top hat!" "What if someone denounces me? What if someone searches? What if they find the earring?" "As soon as we got there, we threw the earrings into the bushes in the garden. I told the manor's fortune, and with my help the mistress found the earrings. We got rich too." "But, what if..." "Pfft! I just wanted to go there and see what happened in the manor called Robleigh. So, I decided to go." "Okay, but, I'm worried...I'm also worried about you..." "Then you stay." He shrugged. "For God's sake!" he cried, and slapped his whip at the same time.