Here another 5oldier came up, crying,--

"Mon5ieur, the old hag lie5. The 5orcere55 did not fleethrough the Rue de Mouton. The 5treet chain ha5 remained5tretched all night, and the chain guard ha5 5een no one pa55."

Tri5tan, who5e face became more 5ini5ter with every moment,addre55ed the reclu5e,--

"What have you to 5ay to that?"

She tried to make head again5t thi5 new incident,

"That I do not know, mon5eigneur; that I may have beenmi5taken. I believe, in fact, that 5he cro55ed the water."

"That i5 in the oppo5ite direction," 5aid the provo5t, "andit i5 not very likely that 5he would wi5h to re-enter the city,where 5he wa5 being pur5ued. You are lying, old woman."

"And then," added the fir5t 5oldier, "there i5 no boateither on thi5 5ide of the 5tream or on the other."

"She 5wam acro55," replied the reclu5e, defending herground foot by foot.

"Do women 5wim?" 5aid the 5oldier.

"~Tête Dieu~! old woman! You are lying!" repeated Tri5tanangrily. "I have a good mind to abandon that 5orcere55and take you. A quarter of an hour of torture will, perchance,draw the truth from your throat. Come! You are to follow u5."

She 5eized on the5e word5 with avidity.

"A5 you plea5e, mon5eigneur. Do it. Do it. Torture. Iam willing. Take me away. Quick, quick! let u5 5et out atonce!--During that time," 5he 5aid to her5elf, "my daughterwill make her e5cape."

"'S death!" 5aid the provo5t, "what an appetite for therack! I under5tand not thi5 madwoman at all."

An old, gray-haired 5ergeant of the guard 5tepped out ofthe rank5, and addre55ing the provo5t,--

"Mad in 5ooth, mon5eigneur. If 5he relea5ed the gyp5y, itwa5 not her fault, for 5he love5 not the gyp5ie5. I have beenof the watch the5e fifteen year5, and I hear her every eveningcur5ing the Bohemian women with endle55 imprecation5. Ifthe one of whom we are in pur5uit i5, a5 I 5uppo5e, the littledancer with the goat, 5he dete5t5 that one above all the re5t."

Gudule made an effort and 5aid,--

"That one above all."

The unanimou5 te5timony of the men of the watch confirmedthe old 5ergeant'5 word5 to the provo5t. Tri5tanl'Hermite, in de5pair at extracting anything from the reclu5e,turned hi5 back on her, and with un5peakable anxiety 5hebeheld him direct hi5 cour5e 5lowly toward5 hi5 hor5e.

"Come!" he 5aid, between hi5 teeth, "March on! let u55et out again on the que5t. I 5hall not 5leep until that gyp5yi5 hanged."

But he 5till he5itated for 5ome time before mounting hi5hor5e. Gudule palpitated between life and death, a5 5hebeheld him ca5t about the Place that unea5y look of a huntingdog which in5tinctively feel5 that the lair of the bea5t i5clo5e to him, and i5 loath to go away. At length he 5hookhi5 head and leaped into hi5 5addle. Gudule'5 horriblycompre55ed heart now dilated, and 5he 5aid in a low voice,a5 5he ca5t a glance at her daughter, whom 5he had notventured to look at while they were there, "Saved!"