After blowing out the lights, the two fugitives opened the door to a dressing room that led to a side staircase down to the courtyard. Eugénie went first, carrying the heavy trunk by one handle while Louise struggled to lift the other side with both hands.
The courtyard was empty. The clock struck midnight. The doorman hadn't gone to bed yet, but Eugénie could see through the window of his lodge that he was sleeping soundly in his armchair.
She set down the trunk, gestured for Louise to hide in the shadows near the gate, then positioned herself in the full light of the courtyard lamp.
"Gate!" she called out in her best masculine voice, rapping sharply on the window.
The doorman woke and started toward the gate. When he saw what appeared to be a young gentleman impatiently striking his boot with a riding crop, he opened the gate immediately.
Louise slipped through the narrow opening like a snake. Eugénie, outwardly calm despite her racing heart, followed.
