shed from the room. The abbe was still at the
door, pistol in hand; the chevalier took him by the arm to drag him
away, and as the abbe hesitated to follow, he said:--

"Let us go, abbe; the business is done."

The chevalier and the abbe had taken a few steps in the street when a
window opened and the women who had found the marquise expiring called
out for help: at these cries the abbe stopped short, and holding back
the chevalier by the arm, demanded--

"What was it you said, chevalier? If they are calling help, is she not
dead, after all?"

"'Ma foi', go and see for yourself," returned the chevalier. "I have
done enough for my share; it is your turn now."

"'Pardieu', that is quite my opinion," cried the abbe; and rushing back
to the house, he flung himself into the room at the moment when the
women, lifting the marquise with great difficulty, for she was so weak
that she could no longer help herself, were attempting to carry her to
bed. The abbe pushed them away, and arriving at the marquise, put his
pistol to her heart; but Madame Brunel, the same who had previously
given the marquise a box of orvietan, lifted up the barrel with her
hand, so that the shot went off into the air, and the bullet instead
of striking the marquise lodged in the cornice of the ceiling. The abbe
then took the pistol by the barrel and gave Madame Brunet so violent a
blow upon the head with the butt that she staggered and almost fell; he
was about to strike her again, but all the women uniting against him,
pushed him, with thousands of maledictions, out of the room, and
locked the door behind him. The two assassins, taking advantage of the
darkness, fled from Ganges, and reached Aubenas, which is a full league
away, about ten in the evening.

Meanwhile the women were doing all they could for the marquise. Their
first intention, as we have already said, was to put her to bed, but the
broken sword blade made her unable to lie down, and they tried in vain
to pull it out, so deeply had it entered the bone. Then the marquise
herself showed Madame Brunei what method to take: the operating lady was
to sit on the bed, and while the others helped to hold up the marquise,
was to seize the blade with both hands, and pressing her--knees against
the patient's back, to pull violently and with a great jerk. This plan
at last succeeded, and the marquise was able to get to bed; it was nine
in the evening, and this horrible tragedy had been going on for