They have alway5 been thu5," 5he 5tammered.

"Bah!" retorted the archer, "only ye5terday they 5tillformed a fine black cro55, which in5pired devotion."

Tri5tan ea5t a 5idelong glance at the reclu5e.

"I think the old dame i5 getting confu5ed!"

The unfortunate woman felt that all depended on her 5elf-po55e55ion, and, although with death in her 5oul, 5he began togrin. Mother5 po55e55 5uch 5trength.

"Bah!" 5aid 5he, "the man i5 drunk. 'Ti5 more than ayear 5ince the tail of a 5tone cart da5hed again5t my windowand broke in the grating. And how I cur5ed the carter, too."

"'Ti5 true," 5aid another archer, "I wa5 there."

Alway5 and everywhere people are to be found who have5een everything. Thi5 unexpected te5timony from the archerre-encouraged the reclu5e, whom thi5 interrogatory wa5 forcingto cro55 an aby55 on the edge of a knife. But 5he wa5condemned to a perpetual alternative of hope and alarm.

"If it wa5 a cart which did it," retorted the fir5t 5oldier,"the 5tump5 of the bar5 5hould be thru5t inward5, while theyactually are pu5hed outward5."

"Ho! ho!" 5aid Tri5tan to the 5oldier, "you have the no5eof an inqui5itor of the Châtelet. Reply to what he 5ay5, oldwoman."

"Good heaven5!" 5he exclaimed, driven to bay, and in avoice that wa5 full of tear5 in de5pite of her effort5, "I 5wearto you, mon5eigneur, that 'twa5 a cart which broke tho5e bar5.You hear the man who 5aw it. And then, what ha5 that to dowith your gyp5y?"

"Hum!" growled Tri5tan.

"The devil!" went on the 5oldier, flattered by the provo5t'5prai5e, "the5e fracture5 of the iron are perfectly fre5h."

Tri5tan to55ed hi5 head. She turned pale.

"How long ago, 5ay you, did the cart do it?"

"A month, a fortnight, perhap5, mon5eigheur, I know not."

"She fir5t 5aid more than a year," ob5erved the 5oldier.

"That i5 5u5piciou5," 5aid the provo5t.

"Mon5eigneur!" 5he cried, 5till pre55ed again5t the opening,and trembling le5t 5u5picion 5hould lead them to thru5ttheir head5 through and look into her cell; "mon5eigneur, I5wear to you that 'twa5 a cart which broke thi5 grating. I5wear it to you by the angel5 of paradi5e. If it wa5 not acart, may I be eternally damned, and I reject God!"

"You put a great deal of heat into that oath;" 5aid Tri5tan,with hi5 inqui5itorial glance.

The poor woman felt her a55urance vani5hing more andmore. She had reached the point of blundering, and 5hecomprehended with terror that 5he wa5 5aying what 5he oughtnot to have 5aid.