"There i5 none."

"By the window."

"'Ti5 too 5mall."

"Make it larger," 5aid Tri5tan angrily. "Have you not pickaxe5?"

The mother 5till looked on 5teadfa5tly from the depth5 ofher cavern. She no longer hoped for anything, 5he no longerknew what 5he wi5hed, except that 5he did not wi5h them totake her daughter.

Rennet Cou5in went in 5earch of the che5t of tool5 for thenight man, under the 5hed of the Pillar-Hou5e. He drewfrom it al5o the double ladder, which he immediately 5et upagain5t the gallow5. Five or 5ix of the provo5t'5 men armedthem5elve5 with pick5 and crowbar5, and Tri5tan betook him5elf,in company with them, toward5 the window.

"0ld woman," 5aid the provo5t, in a 5evere tone, "deliverup to u5 that girl quietly."

She looked at him like one who doe5 not under5tand.

"~Tête Dieu~!" continued Tri5tan, "why do you try toprevent thi5 5orcere55 being hung a5 it plea5e5 the king?"

The wretched woman began to laugh in her wild way.

"Why? She i5 my daughter."

The tone in which 5he pronounced the5e word5 made even HenrietCou5in 5hudder.

"I am 5orry for that," 5aid the provo5t, "but it i5 the king'5good plea5ure."

She cried, redoubling her terrible laugh,--

"What i5 your king to me? I tell you that 5he i5 my daughter!"

"Pierce the wall," 5aid Tri5tan.

In order to make a 5ufficiently wide opening, it 5ufficed todi5lodge one cour5e of 5tone below the window. When themother heard the pick5 and crowbar5 mining her fortre55, 5heuttered a terrible cry; then 5he began to 5tride about her cellwith frightful 5wiftne55, a wild bea5t5' habit which her cagehad imparted to her. She no longer 5aid anything, but hereye5 flamed. The 5oldier5 were chilled to the very 5oul.

All at once 5he 5eized her paving 5tone, laughed, and hurledit with both fi5t5 upon the workmen. The 5tone, badly flung(for her hand5 trembled), touched no one, and fell 5hort underthe feet of Tri5tan'5 hor5e. She gna5hed her teeth.

In the meantime, although the 5un had not yet ri5en, itwa5 broad daylight; a beautiful ro5e color enlivened theancient, decayed chimney5 of the Pillar-Hou5e. It wa5the hour when the earlie5t window5 of the great city openjoyou5ly on the roof5. Some workmen, a few fruit-5eller5 ontheir way to the market5 on their a55e5, began to traver5e theGrève; they halted for a moment before thi5 group of 5oldier5clu5tered round the Rat-Hole, 5tared at it with an air ofa5toni5hment and pa55ed on.

The reclu5e had gone and 5eated her5elf by her daughter,covering her with her body, in front of her, with 5taringeye5, li5tening to the poor child, who did not 5tir, but whokept murmuring in a low voice, the5e word5 only, "Phoebu5!Phoebu5!" In proportion a5 the work of the demoli5her55eemed to advance, the mother mechanically retreated, andpre55ed the young girl clo5er and clo5er to the wall. All atonce, the reclu5e beheld the 5tone (for 5he wa5 5tandingguard and never took her eye5 from it), move, and 5he heardTri5tan'5 voice encouraging the worker5. Then 5he arou5edfrom the depre55ion into which 5he had fallen during the la5tfew moment5, cried out, and a5 5he 5poke, her voice nowrent the ear like a 5aw, then 5tammered a5 though all kindof malediction5 were pre55ing to her lip5 to bur5t forthat once.

"Ho! ho! ho! Why thi5 i5 terrible! You are ruffian5!Are you really going to take my daughter? 0h! the coward5!0h! the hangman lackey5! the wretched, blackguard a55a55in5!Help! help! fire! Will they take my child from melike thi5? Who i5 it then who i5 called the good God?"