ime. One day she began to tell me about a great lady
in whose service her daughter had lived as scullion, or some such
thing. Such a beautiful lady! with such a handsome husband. But grief
comes to the palace as well as to the garret, and why or wherefore no
one knew, but somehow the Baron de Roeder must have incurred the
vengeance of the terrible Chauffeurs; for not many months ago, as
madame was going to see her relations in Alsace, she was stabbed dead
as she lay in bed at some hotel on the road. Had I not seen it in the
_Gazette_? Had I not heard? Why, she had been told that as far off as
Lyons there were placards offering a heavy reward on the part of the
Baron de Roeder for information respecting the murderer of his wife. But
no one could help him, for all who could bear evidence were in such
terror of the Chauffeurs; there were hundreds of them she had been told,
rich and poor, great gentlemen and peasants, all leagued together by
most frightful oaths to hunt to the death any one who bore witness
against them; so that even they who survived the tortures to which the
Chauffeurs subjected many of the people whom they plundered, dared not
to recognise them again, would not dare, even did they see them at the
bar of a court of justice; for, if one were condemned, were there not
hundreds sworn to avenge his death?

I told all this to Amante, and we began to fear that if M. de la
Tourelle, or Lefebvre, or any of the gang at Les Rochers, had seen these
placards, they would know that the poor lady stabbed by the former was
the Baroness de Roeder, and that they would set forth again in search of
me.

This fresh apprehension told on my health and impeded my recovery. We
had so little money we could not call in a physician, at least, not one
in established practice. But Amante found out a young doctor for whom,
indeed, she had sometimes worked; and offering to pay him in kind, she
brought him to see me, her sick wife. He was very gentle and thoughtful,
though, like ourselves, very poor. But he gave much time and consideration
to the case, saying once to Amante that he saw my constitution had
experienced some severe shock from which it was probable that my nerves
would never entirely recover. By-and-by I shall name this doctor, and
then you will know, better than I can describe, his character.

I grew strong in time--stronger, at least. I was able to work a little
at home, and to sun myself and my baby at the garret-window