well, annette, said ludovico, jeeringly, shall i let you out now? ono, says i, i would not'--
'i have some questions to ask you on another subject,' interrupted emily, quite wearied by this story.'do you know whether there are any prisoners in the castle, and whether they are confined at this end of the edifice?'
'i was not in the way, ma'amselle,' replied annette, 'when the first party came in from the mountains, and the last party is not come back yet, so i don't know, whether there are any prisoners; but it is expected back to-night, or to-morrow, and i shall know then, perhaps.'
emily enquired if she had ever heard the servants talk of prisoners.
'ah ma'amselle!' said annette archly, 'now i dare say you are thinking of monsieur valancourt, and that he may have come among the armies, which, they say, are come from our country, to fight against this state, and that he has met with some of our people, and is taken captive.o lord! how glad i should be, if it was so!'
'would you, indeed, be glad?' said emily, in a tone of mournful reproach.
'to be sure i should, ma'am,' replied annette, 'and would not you be glad too, to see signor valancourt? i don't know any chevalier ilike better, i have a very great regard for the signor, truly.'
'your regard for him cannot be doubted,' said emily, 'since you wish to see him a prisoner.'
'why no, ma'amselle, not a prisoner either; but one must be glad to see him, you know.and it was only the other night i dreamt--idreamt i saw him drive into the castle-yard all in a coach and six, and dressed out, with a laced coat and a sword, like a lord as he is.'
emily could not forbear smiling at annette's ideas of valancourt, and repeated her enquiry, whether she had heard the servants talk of prisoners.
'no, ma'amselle,' replied she, 'never; and lately they have done nothing but talk of the apparition, that has been walking about of a night on the ramparts, and that frightened the sentinels into fits.