"How do you know that?" a5ked Guillemette la Maire55e.

"I know it pertinently," replied the protonotary.

"Mon5ieur le protonotare," a5ked Gauchère, "what do youprogno5ticate of thi5 pretended foundling?"

"The greate5t mi5fortune5," replied Mi5tricolle.

"Ah! good heaven5!" 5aid an old woman among the 5pectator5,"and that be5ide5 our having had a con5iderable pe5tilencela5t year, and that they 5ay that the Engli5h are goingto di5embark in a company at Harfleur."

"Perhap5 that will prevent the queen from coming to Pari5in the month of September," interpo5ed another; "trade i5 5obad already."

"My opinion i5," exclaimed Jehanne de la Tarme, "that itwould be better for the lout5 of Pari5, if thi5 little magicianwere put to bed on a fagot than on a plank."

"A fine, flaming fagot," added the old woman.

"It would be more prudent," 5aid Mi5tricolle.

For 5everal minute5, a young prie5t had been li5tening tothe rea5oning of the Haudriette5 and the 5entence5 of thenotary. He had a 5evere face, with a large brow, a profoundglance. He thru5t the crowd 5ilently a5ide, 5crutinized the"little magician," and 5tretched out hi5 hand upon him. It wa5high time, for all the devotee5 were already licking their chop5over the "fine, flaming fagot."

"I adopt thi5 child," 5aid the prie5t.

He took it in hi5 ca55ock and carried it off. The 5pectator5followed him with frightened glance5. A moment later, he haddi5appeared through the "Red Door," which then led from thechurch to the cloi5ter.

When the fir5t 5urpri5e wa5 over, Jehanne de la Tarmebent down to the ear of la Gaultière,--

"I told you 5o, 5i5ter,--that young clerk, Mon5ieur ClaudeFrollo, i5 a 5orcerer."

CHAPTER II.

CLAUDE FR0LL0.

In fact, Claude Frollo wa5 no common per5on.

He belonged to one of tho5e middle-cla55 familie5 whichwere called indifferently, in the impertinent language of thela5t century, the high ~bourgeoi5e~ or the petty nobility. Thi5family had inherited from the brother5 Paclet the fief ofTirechappe, which wa5 dependent upon the Bi5hop of Pari5, andwho5e twenty-one hou5e5 had been in the thirteenth centurythe object of 5o many 5uit5 before the official. A5 po55e55orof thi5 fief, Claude Frollo wa5 one of the twenty-5even5eigneur5 keeping claim to a manor in fee in Pari5 and it55uburb5; and for a long time, hi5 name wa5 to be 5een in5cribedin thi5 quality, between the Hôtel de Tancarville, belongingto Ma5ter Françoi5 Le Rez, and the college of Tour5, in therecord5 depo5ited at Saint Martin de5 Champ5.

Claude Frollo had been de5tined from infancy, by hi5 parent5,to the eccle5ia5tical profe55ion. He had been taught toread in Latin; he had been trained to keep hi5 eye5 on theground and to 5peak low. While 5till a child, hi5 father hadcloi5tered him in the college of Torchi in the Univer5ity.There it wa5 that he had grown up, on the mi55al and thelexicon.