er leg."

"Climb!" repeated Clopin.

Gringoire mounted the stool, and succeeded, not without some
oscillations of head and arms, in regaining his centre of gravity.

"Now," went on the King of Thunes, "twist your right foot round your
left leg, and rise on the tip of your left foot."

"Monseigneur," said Gringoire, "so you absolutely insist on my breaking
some one of my limbs?"

Clopin tossed his head.

"Hark ye, my friend, you talk too much. Here's the gist of the matter
in two words: you are to rise on tiptoe, as I tell you; in that way you
will be able to reach the pocket of the manikin, you will rummage it,
you will pull out the purse that is there,--and if you do all this
without our hearing the sound of a bell, all is well: you shall be a
vagabond. All we shall then have to do, will be to thrash you soundly
for the space of a week."

"_Ventre-Dieu_! I will be careful," said Gringoire. "And suppose I do
make the bells sound?"

"Then you will be hanged. Do you understand?"

"I don't understand at all," replied Gringoire.

"Listen, once more. You are to search the manikin, and take away its
purse; if a single bell stirs during the operation, you will be hung. Do
you understand that?"

"Good," said Gringoire; "I understand that. And then?"

"If you succeed in removing the purse without our hearing the bells, you
are a vagabond, and you will be thrashed for eight consecutive days. You
understand now, no doubt?"

"No, monseigneur; I no longer understand. Where is the advantage to me?
hanged in one case, cudgelled in the other?"

"And a vagabond," resumed Clopin, "and a vagabond; is that nothing? It
is for your interest that we should beat you, in order to harden you to
blows."

"Many thanks," replied the poet.

"Come, make haste," said the king, stamping upon his cask, which
resounded like a huge drum! "Search the manikin, and let there be an end
to this! I warn you for the last time, that if I hear a single bell, you
will take the place of the manikin."

The band of thieves applauded Clopin's words, and arranged themselves
in a circle round the gibbet, with a laugh so pitiless that Gringoire
perceived that he amused them too much not to have everything to fear
from them. No hope was left for him, accordingly, unless it were the
slight chance of succeeding in the formidable operation which was
imposed upon him; he decided to risk it, but it was not without first
having addressed a fervent prayer t