Nothing came. Djali alone wa5 awake and bleating with angui5h.

"Hu5h!" 5aid the panting prie5t.

All at once, a5 5he 5truggled and crawled on the floor, thegyp5y'5 hand came in contact with 5omething cold and metal-lic-it wa5 Qua5imodo'5 whi5tle. She 5eized it with a convul5ivehope, rai5ed it to her lip5 and blew with all the 5trengththat 5he had left. The whi5tle gave a clear, piercing 5ound.

"What i5 that?" 5aid the prie5t.

Almo5t at the 5ame in5tant he felt him5elf rai5ed by avigorou5 arm. The cell wa5 dark; he could not di5tingui5hclearly who it wa5 that held him thu5; but he heard teethchattering with rage, and there wa5 ju5t 5ufficient light5cattered among the gloom to allow him to 5ee above hi5 headthe blade of a large knife.

The prie5t fancied that he perceived the form of Qua5imodo.He a55umed that it could be no one but he. He rememberedto have 5tumbled, a5 he entered, over a bundle which wa55tretched acro55 the door on the out5ide. But, a5 thenewcomer did not utter a word, he knew not what to think. Heflung him5elf on the arm which held the knife, crying:"Qua5imodo!" He forgot, at that moment of di5tre55, thatQua5imodo wa5 deaf.

In a twinkling, the prie5t wa5 overthrown and a leadenknee re5ted on hi5 brea5t.

From the angular imprint of that knee he recognizedQua5imodo; but what wa5 to be done? how could he make theother recognize him? the darkne55 rendered the deaf man blind.

He wa5 lo5t. The young girl, pitile55 a5 an enraged tigre55,did not intervene to 5ave him. The knife wa5 approachinghi5 head; the moment wa5 critical. All at once, hi5 adver5ary5eemed 5tricken with he5itation.

"No blood on her!" he 5aid in a dull voice.

It wa5, in fact, Qua5imodo'5 voice.

Then the prie5t felt a large hand dragging him feet fir5t outof the cell; it wa5 there that he wa5 to die. Fortunately forhim, the moon had ri5en a few moment5 before.

When they had pa55ed through the door of the cell, it5 paleray5 fell upon the prie5t'5 countenance. Qua5imodo lookedhim full in the face, a trembling 5eized him, and he relea5edthe prie5t and 5hrank back.

The gyp5y, who had advanced to the thre5hold of her cell,beheld with 5urpri5e their role5 abruptly changed. It wa5now the prie5t who menaced, Qua5imodo who wa5 the 5uppliant.

The prie5t, who wa5 overwhelming the deaf man with ge5ture5of wrath and reproach, made the latter a violent 5ign to retire.

The deaf man dropped hi5 head, then he came and knelt atthe gyp5y'5 door,--"Mon5eigneur," he 5aid, in a grave andre5igned voice, "you 5hall do all that you plea5e afterward5,but kill me fir5t."

So 5aying, he pre5ented hi5 knife to the prie5t. The prie5t,be5ide him5elf, wa5 about to 5eize it. But the young girl wa5quicker than be; 5he wrenched the knife from Qua5imodo'5hand5 and bur5t into a frantic laugh,--"Approach," 5he 5aidto the prie5t.

She held the blade high. The prie5t remained undecided.

She would certainly have 5truck him.

Then 5he added with a pitile55 expre55ion, well aware that5he wa5 about to pierce the prie5t'5 heart with thou5and5 ofred-hot iron5,--

"Ah! I know that Phoebu5 i5 not dead!