ith rain and perspiration tried to peep in at the window.
Collot gave brief orders to the soldiers to close the shutters at once
and to push away the crowd, but the crowd would not be pushed. It would
not be gainsaid, and when the soldiers tried to close the window, twenty
angry fists broke the panes of glass.

"I can't finish this writing in your lingo, sir, whilst this demmed row
is going on," said Sir Percy placidly.

"You have not much more to write, Sir Percy," urged Chauvelin with
nervous impatience, "I pray you, finish the matter now, and get you gone
from out this city."

"Send that demmed lot away, then," rejoined Sir Percy calmly.

"They won't go.... They want to see you..."

Sir Percy paused a moment, pen in hand, as if in deep reflection.

"They want to see me," he said with a laugh. "Why, demn it all... then,
why not let em?..."

And with a few rapid strokes of the pen, he quickly finished the letter,
adding his signature with a bold flourish, whilst the crowd, pushing,
jostling, shouting and cursing the soldiers, still loudly demanded to
see the Scarlet Pimpernel.

Chauvelin felt as if his heart would veritably burst with the wildness
of its beating.

Then Sir Percy, with one hand lightly pressed on the letter, pushed his
chair away and with his pleasant ringing voice, said once again:

"Well! demn it... let 'em see me!..."

With that he sprang to his feet and up to his full height, and as he did
so he seized the two massive pewter candlesticks, one in each hand, and
with powerful arms well outstretched he held them high above his head.

"The letter..." murmured Chauvelin in a hoarse whisper.

But even as he was quickly reaching out a hand, which shook with the
intensity of his excitement, towards the letter on the table, Blakeney,
with one loud and sudden shout, threw the heavy candlesticks onto
the floor. They rattled down with a terrific crash, the lights were
extinguished, and the whole room was immediately plunged in utter
darkness.

The crowd gave a wild yell of fear: they had only caught sight for
one instant of that gigantic figure--which, with arms outstretched had
seemed supernaturally tall--weirdly illumined by the flickering light of
the tallow candles and the next moment disappearing into utter darkness
before their very gaze. Overcome with sudden superstitious fear,
Pierrots and Pierrettes, drummer and trumpeters turned and fled in every
direction.

Within the room all was