They had seen his light, and were now watching for his
coming out. He knew that upon the smallest additional excitement the
locked gates and palisade would not keep them off more than half a
minute; so he instantly barred the shutters, and betook himself to the
porter's room. As he crossed the small open corner between the two
doors, he heard the _sough_ of their angry speech swelling and falling
like a wind in the upper regions of the night; but they did not see
him. Fortunately, there was a side door in the railing, seldom used, of
which the key hung in the porter's room. By this door Alec let himself
out, and relocked it. But the moment he turned to go home, he heard an
urchin, who had peeped round a corner, screech to the crowd across the
enclosure:
"He's oot at the back yett! He's oot at the back yett and awa'!"
Another yell arose, and the sounds of trampling feet.
Alec knew that his only chance lay in his heels, and took to them
faithfully. Behind him came the crowd in hot pursuit. The narrow
streets rang with their shouts of execration. Such curses could hardly
be heard elsewhere in Europe. Alec, knowing most of the courts and
passages, doubled on his pursuers in the hope of eluding them.
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