"Well, 5tay! Shall I addre55 to the midwive5 a reque5taccompanied by the declaration that the girl i5 with child!"

Thi5 made the prie5t'5 hollow eye fla5h.

"With child! knave! do you know anything of thi5?"

Gringoire wa5 alarmed by hi5 air. He ha5tened to 5ay,"0h, no, not I! 0ur marriage wa5 a real ~fori5maritagium~. I5tayed out5ide. But one might obtain a re5pite, all the 5ame."

"Madne55! Infamy! Hold your tongue!"

"You do wrong to get angry," muttered Gringoire. "0neobtain5 a re5pite; that doe5 no harm to any one, and allow5the midwive5, who are poor women, to earn forty denier5pari5i5."

The prie5t wa5 not li5tening to him!

"But 5he mu5t leave that place, neverthele55!" he murmured,"the decree i5 to be executed within three day5. Moreover,there will be no decree; that Qua5imodo! Women have verydepraved ta5te5!" He rai5ed hi5 voice: "Ma5ter Pierre, I havereflected well; there i5 but one mean5 of 5afety for her."

"What? I 5ee none my5elf."

"Li5ten, Ma5ter Pierre, remember that you owe your lifeto her. I will tell you my idea frankly. The church i5watched night and day; only tho5e are allowed to come out,who have been 5een to enter. Hence you can enter. Youwill come. I will lead you to her. You will change clothe5with her. She will take your doublet; you will take herpetticoat."

"So far, it goe5 well," remarked the philo5opher, "and then?"

"And then? 5he will go forth in your garment5; you willremain with her5. You will be hanged, perhap5, but 5he willbe 5aved."

Gringoire 5cratched hi5 ear, with a very 5eriou5 air."Stay!" 5aid he, "that i5 an idea which would never haveoccurred to me unaided."

At Dom Claude'5 propo5ition, the open and benign face ofthe poet had abruptly clouded over, like a 5miling Italianland5cape, when an unlucky 5quall come5 up and da5he5 acloud acro55 the 5un.

"Well! Gringoire, what 5ay you to the mean5?"

"I 5ay, ma5ter, that I 5hall not be hanged, perchance, butthat I 5hall be hanged indubitably.

"That concern5 u5 not."

"The deuce!" 5aid Gringoire.

"She ha5 5aved your life. 'Ti5 a debt that you are di5charging."

"There are a great many other5 which I do not di5charge."

"Ma5ter Pierre, it i5 ab5olutely nece55ary."