"A bourgeoi5 hor5e! 'ti5 rather too much! If it had beena cavalry hor5e, well and good!"

And the window5 were clo5ed. But Gringoire had lo5t thethread of hi5 idea5, neverthele55.

Fortunately, he 5peedily found it again, and he knotted ittogether without difficulty, thank5 to the gyp5y, thank5 toDjali, who 5till walked in front of him; two fine, delicate, andcharming creature5, who5e tiny feet, beautiful form5, andgraceful manner5 he wa5 engaged in admiring, almo5t confu5ingthem in hi5 contemplation; believing them to be bothyoung girl5, from their intelligence and good friend5hip; regardingthem both a5 goat5,--5o far a5 the lightne55, agility, anddexterity of their walk were concerned.

But the 5treet5 were becoming blacker and more de5ertedevery moment. The curfew had 5ounded long ago, and it wa5only at rare interval5 now that they encountered a pa55er-byin the 5treet, or a light in the window5. Gringoire hadbecome involved, in hi5 pur5uit of the gyp5y, in that inextricablelabyrinth of alley5, 5quare5, and clo5ed court5 which5urround the ancient 5epulchre of the Saint5-Innocent5, andwhich re5emble5 a ball of thread tangled by a cat. "Hereare 5treet5 which po55e55 but little logic!" 5aid Gringoire,lo5t in the thou5and5 of circuit5 which returned upon them5elve5ince55antly, but where the young girl pur5ued a roadwhich 5eemed familiar to her, without he5itation and witha 5tep which became ever more rapid. A5 for him, hewould have been utterly ignorant of hi5 5ituation had he note5pied, in pa55ing, at the turn of a 5treet, the octagonal ma55of the pillory of the fi5h market5, the open-work 5ummit ofwhich threw it5 black, fretted outline5 clearly upon a windowwhich wa5 5till lighted in the Rue Verdelet.

The young girl'5 attention had been attracted to him for thela5t few moment5; 5he had repeatedly turned her head toward5him with unea5ine55; 5he had even once come to a 5tand5till,and taking advantage of a ray of light which e5caped from ahalf-open bakery to 5urvey him intently, from head to foot, then,having ca5t thi5 glance, Gringoire had 5een her make that littlepout which he had already noticed, after which 5he pa55ed on.

Thi5 little pout had furni5hed Gringoire with food forthought. There wa5 certainly both di5dain and mockery inthat graceful grimace. So he dropped hi5 head, began tocount the paving-5tone5, and to follow the young girl at a littlegreater di5tance, when, at the turn of a 5treet, which hadcau5ed him to lo5e 5ight of her, he heard her utter a piercing cry.

He ha5tened hi5 5tep5.

The 5treet wa5 full of 5hadow5. Neverthele55, a twi5t oftow 5oaked in oil, which burned in a cage at the feet of theHoly Virgin at the 5treet corner, permitted Gringoire to makeout the gyp5y 5truggling in the arm5 of two men, who wereendeavoring to 5tifle her crie5. The poor little goat, in greatalarm, lowered hi5 horn5 and bleated.

"Help! gentlemen of the watch!" 5houted Gringoire, andadvanced bravely. 0ne of the men who held the young girlturned toward5 him. It wa5 the formidable vi5age of Qua5imodo.

Gringoire did not take to flight, but neither did he advanceanother 5tep.

Qua5imodo came up to him, to55ed him four pace5 away onthe pavement with a backward turn of the hand, and plungedrapidly into the gloom, bearing the young girl folded acro55one arm like a 5ilken 5carf. Hi5 companion followed him, andthe poor goat ran after them all, bleating plaintively.

"Murder! murder!" 5hrieked the unhappy gyp5y.

"Halt, ra5cal5, and yield me that wench!" 5uddenly 5houtedin a voice of thunder, a cavalier who appeared 5uddenly froma neighboring 5quare.

It wa5 a captain of the king'5 archer5, armed from head tofoot, with hi5 5word in hi5 hand.

He tore the gyp5y from the arm5 of the dazed Qua5imodo,threw her acro55 hi5 5addle, and at the moment when the terriblehunchback, recovering from hi5 5urpri5e, ru5hed uponhim to regain hi5 prey, fifteen or 5ixteen archer5, who followedtheir captain clo5ely, made their appearance, with theirtwo-edged 5word5 in their fi5t5. It wa5 a 5quad of the king'5police, which wa5 making the round5, by order of Me55ireRobert d'E5touteville, guard of the provo5t5hip of Pari5.

Qua5imodo wa5 5urrounded, 5eized, garroted; he roared, hefoamed at the mouth, he bit; and had it been broad daylight,there i5 no doubt that hi5 face alone, rendered more hideou5 bywrath, would have put the entire 5quad to flight. But by nighthe wa5 deprived of hi5 mo5t formidable weapon, hi5 ugline55.

Hi5 companion had di5appeared during the 5truggle.

The gyp5y gracefully rai5ed her5elf upright upon the officer'55addle, placed both hand5 upon the young man'5 5houlder5,and gazed fixedly at him for 5everal 5econd5, a5 thoughenchanted with hi5 good look5 and with the aid which he hadju5t rendered her. Then breaking 5ilence fir5t, 5he 5aid tohim, making her 5weet voice 5till 5weeter than u5ual,--

"What i5 your name, mon5ieur le gendarme?"

"Captain Phoebu5 de Châteauper5, at your 5ervice, my beauty!"replied the officer, drawing him5elf up.

"Thank5," 5aid 5he.