Maud and Madame are attacked at the warren

The attack on Maud and Madame are attacked at the warren is a staged ambush presented under the cover of a joke: three men intercept Maud Ruthyn and Madame de la Rougierre on a fading evening walk, then try to force them toward a waiting carriage. The assailants’ mock courtesies give way to physical restraint, and the arrival of the gamekeepers turns a threatened abduction into a narrow escape. The attack also leaves an injured servant behind and raises the question of how deliberately the encounter was arranged.

Setting and Approach

Maud and Madame cross the warren as the sun goes down, moving over its small hillocks beneath the lengthening blue shadows. Ahead, they see three men: two standing together, and a third repacking a hamper. The group’s casual picnic appearance contrasts with the suspicious coordination Maud notices when the two standing men lower their cigars together and turn away as the women approach.

One of the men, tall and slim in a white great-coat, steps directly into their path. With a mock salute and an insolent grin, he pretends that the meeting is sociable and calls for drinks, while the third man is told to stop packing. His joking names for his companions and his exaggerated self-introduction make the encounter sound like an impromptu lark. Yet he speaks of the women as having been caught and proposes that they meet a woman in the carriage before being allowed to go. The carriage and the men’s readiness to block the path make the performance threatening from the outset.

From Banter to Restraint

Maud recognizes the shorter man as the person who had previously accosted her at Church Scarsdale. She pulls at Madame and whispers that they should run. Madame instead urges her to be quiet, then insists that they must go with her. Maud refuses, frightened by the proposal and instinctively unwilling to follow the men toward the carriage.

Madame is holding Maud’s arm when Maud pulls free and tries to flee. The tall man catches her and holds her under a pretense of playfulness, but his grip hurts and prevents her escape. Maud screams repeatedly. He tries to drown out her cries, while Madame continues urging her to quiet down and go with her. The contrast is central to the scene: the attacker’s joking manner disguises force, while Madame’s efforts to direct Maud toward the men leave Maud without the assistance she expects from her companion.

The Gamekeepers’ Intervention

Other voices suddenly approach. The men fall silent and look toward the sound; one of them covers Maud’s mouth as she screams more loudly. Madame identifies the newcomers as gamekeepers and calls for Dykes by name. When Maud finds herself free, she runs a few steps and clings to Dykes’s arm as he brings his gun to bear. Although she is frightened, she begs him not to fire, warning that the men may kill them if he does.

Madame runs up as well. Dykes tells the second gamekeeper to reach the gate and lock it, while the three men retreat toward their carriage. A shot is heard; Dykes then runs after the sound, leaving Madame to hurry Maud back toward the house. The interruption ends the immediate threat to Maud, but it does not capture the attackers or prevent further violence during their escape.

Assault, Inquiry, and Significance

Maud’s father, Austin Ruthyn, meets the women in the hall and is furious when Madame tells him what happened. He sets out with servants to intercept the party at the park gate. He is away for nearly three hours, during which Maud remains uncertain about what is happening. The under-gamekeeper, Bill, returns badly injured: the three men had attacked him when he tried to stop their retreat, taken his gun, which went off in the struggle, and beaten him.

Bill’s account convinces those at the house that the confrontation was not a harmless frolic but the result of a determined plan. Austin traces the men to Lugton Station, where they have taken the railway, but cannot discover which direction the carriage and posthorses went. The escape therefore leaves the perpetrators beyond immediate pursuit and the intended purpose of the attack unresolved.

When Austin questions Maud and Madame, their recollections differ materially over several details of the party. Madame is firm in her account, while the gamekeeper supports Maud’s description. Austin is consequently puzzled, though he is also relieved that the evidence may be insufficient to bring the case into court: a public proceeding, with its attention and embarrassment, would be distressing for Maud. The episode’s outcome is thus double-edged. The gamekeepers save Maud from being taken, but the attackers escape, Bill is hurt, and the uncertain prospect of legal action leaves the assault without a clear public reckoning.