a look or a thought to the third person
present. He stood transfixed, listening; the angry blood rushed into his
face, then ebbed as suddenly, leaving him a livid, deathlike yellow.

"But mon Dieu, why all this story?" Adelaide burst out with almost a
scream. "What is he to me, your silly Angelot? What did you say just
now? My daughter and--I must have heard you wrongly."

Urbain gave a short, crackling laugh. "Nevertheless, I shall go on with
my story. I came home a few hours ago. My wife told me that Angelot was
safe with his uncle at Les Chouettes." The General started violently,
but neither of them noticed him. "We went there together, and found that
the boy was gone to La Mariniere, to see his mother--Joseph had planned
to pack him off out of the way of the police--with his usual
discretion--but enough of that."

"Urbain, you will madden me! What do I care for all this?"

Adelaide made a few steps and let herself fall into a chair.

"Patience!" he said; and there was something solemn, almost awful, in
the way he stretched out his right hand to her. "We hastened back to La
Mariniere, and found no Angelot there. Then I began to think that
Joseph's fears of the police might not be exaggerated--Angelot escaped
from them on the very day he was arrested--the man who arrested him,
why, I cannot discover, was that fellow Simon, the spy, and according to
Joseph he has been watching the woods ever since. I went out, for I
could not rest indoors, and as I walked down the road I met Monsieur le
Cure and Martin Joubard, coming from Lancilly. I turned back with the
old man, and he told me his story."

He stopped and drew a long breath.

"I hardly listened to the details," he said. "But by some means Herve
had heard of the expected order--and--distrusting all the world, it
seems, even you, his wife, he sent for the Cure at midnight and forced
him to celebrate the marriage. Ah, Monsieur le General, you may well
take it hardly; yet I do not believe you are more angry than I am."

"As to that, monsieur," said Ratoneau, glaring at him with savage fury,
"I believe you have played me false and arranged the whole affair. Your
scamp of a son has escaped the prison he richly deserved, and you have
plotted to marry him to your cousin's daughter. I always thought you as
clever as the devil, monsieur. But look here--and you too, madame,
listen to me. I will ruin the whole set of you--and as to that boy of
yours, let him beware how h