ny sergeants of the provostship in sleeveless jackets of violet
camlet, with white crosses. Two sergeants of the Parloir-aux-Bourgeois,
clothed in their jackets of Toussaint, half red, half blue, were
posted as sentinels before a low, closed door, which was visible at
the extremity of the hall, behind the table. A single pointed window,
narrowly encased in the thick wall, illuminated with a pale ray of
January sun two grotesque figures,--the capricious demon of stone carved
as a tail-piece in the keystone of the vaulted ceiling, and the judge
seated at the end of the hall on the fleurs-de-lis.

Imagine, in fact, at the provost's table, leaning upon his elbows
between two bundles of documents of cases, with his foot on the train
of his robe of plain brown cloth, his face buried in his hood of white
lamb's skin, of which his brows seemed to be of a piece, red, crabbed,
winking, bearing majestically the load of fat on his cheeks which met
under his chin, Master Florian Barbedienne, auditor of the Chatelet.

Now, the auditor was deaf. A slight defect in an auditor. Master Florian
delivered judgment, none the less, without appeal and very suitably. It
is certainly quite sufficient for a judge to have the air of listening;
and the venerable auditor fulfilled this condition, the sole one in
justice, all the better because his attention could not be distracted by
any noise.

Moreover, he had in the audience, a pitiless censor of his deeds and
gestures, in the person of our friend Jehan Frollo du Moulin, that
little student of yesterday, that "stroller," whom one was sure of
encountering all over Paris, anywhere except before the rostrums of the
professors.

"Stay," he said in a low tone to his companion, Robin Poussepain, who
was grinning at his side, while he was making his comments on the scenes
which were being unfolded before his eyes, "yonder is Jehanneton
du Buisson. The beautiful daughter of the lazy dog at the
Marche-Neuf!--Upon my soul, he is condemning her, the old rascal! he
has no more eyes than ears. Fifteen sous, four farthings, parisian, for
having worn two rosaries! 'Tis somewhat dear. _Lex duri carminis_. Who's
that? Robin Chief-de-Ville, hauberkmaker. For having been passed and
received master of the said trade! That's his entrance money. He! two
gentlemen among these knaves! Aiglet de Soins, Hutin de Mailly Two
equerries, _Corpus Christi_! Ah! they have been playing at dice. When
shall I see our rector he