The horses set off like lightening; no obstacle relaxed their pace for an instant.

Only, at the arcade Saint-Jean, as they were coming out upon the Place de Greve, a long file of horsemen, barring the narrow passage, stopped the carriage of the superintendent.

There was no means of forcing this barrier; it was necessary to wait till the mounted archers of the watch, for it was they who stopped the way, had passed with the heavy carriage they were escorting, and which ascended rapidly towards the Place Baudoyer.
Fouquet and Pelisson took no further account of this circumstance beyond deploring the minute's delay they had thus to submit to.

They entered the habitation of the _concierge du Palais_ five minutes after.

That officer was still walking about in the front court.