In  the  orchard  it  seemed  as  if  two  gigantic
animals  were  engaged  in  a  mad,  floundering
encounter,  snarling,  howling  in  a  whirling  chaos
of  noise  and  motion.  In  the  barn  the  prisoner
and  his  guard  faced  each  other  in  silence.
As  for  the  girl  at  the  knot-hole,  the  sky  had
fallen  at  the  beginning  of  this  clamour.  She
would  not  have  been  astonished  to  see  the  stars
swinging  from  their  abodes,  and  the  vegetation,
the  barn,  all  blow  away.  It  was  the  end  of
everything,  the  grand  universal  murder.  When
two  of  the  three  miraculous  soldiers  who  formed
the  original  feed-box  corps  emerged  in  detail
from  the  hole  under  the  beam,  and  slid  away
into  the  darkness,  she  did  no  more  than  glance
at  them.
Suddenly  she  recollected  the  head  with  silver
eyes.  She  started  forward  and  again  applied  her
eyes  to  the  knot-hole.  Even  with  the  din  re
sounding  from  the  orchard,  from  up  the  road
and  down  the  road,  from  the  heavens  and  from
the  deep  earth,  the  central  fascination  was  this
mystic  head.  There,  to  her,  was  the  dark  god
of  the  tragedy.
The  prisoner  in  grey  at  this  moment  burst
into  a  laugh  that  was  no  more  than  a  hys
terical  gurgle.  "  Well,  you  can't  hold  that


74  THREE  MIRACULOUS  SOLDIERS

gun  out  for  ever!  Pretty  soon  you'll  have  to
lower  it."

The  sentry's  voice  sounded  slightly  muffled,
for  his  cheek  was  pressed  against  the  weapon.
