wall. But I know the way. In one corner of the passage I press a spring,
and a little panel open. I crawl through and close it behin'. Then I
feel my way along the dark corner till I come to another panel. This
I open, and I see light. You ask how I can do this? Well, I tell you.
There is the valet of Bigot, he is my friend. You not guess who it is?
No? It is a man whose crime in France I know. He was afraid when he saw
me here, but I say to him, 'No, I will not speak--never'; and he is all
my friend just when I most need. Eh, voila, I see light, as I said, and
I push aside heavy curtains ver' little, and there is the Chamber of the
Joy below. There they all are, the Intendant and the rest, sitting
down to the tables. There was Capitaine Lancy, M'sieu' Cadet, M'sieu'
Cournal, M'sieu' le Chevalier de Levis, and M'sieu' le Generale, le
Marquis de Montcalm. I am astonish to see him there, the great General,
in his grand coat of blue and gold and red, and laces tres beau at his
throat, with a fine jewel. Ah, he is not ver' high on his feet, but he
has an eye all fire, and a laugh come quick to his lips, and he speak
ver' galant, but he never let them, Messieurs Cadet, Marin, Lancy, and
the rest, be thick friends with him. They do not clap their hands on his
shoulder comme le bon camarade--non!

"Well, they sit down to play, and soon there is much noise and laughing,
and then sometimes a silence, and then again the noise, and you can
see one snuff a candle with the points of two rapiers, or hear a sword
jangle at a chair, or listen to some one sing ver' soft a song as he
hold a good hand of cards, or the ring of louis on the table, or
the sound of glass as it break on the floor. And once a young
gentleman--alas! he is so young--he get up from his chair, and cry out,
'All is lost! I go to die!' He raise a pistol to his head; but M'sieu'
Doltaire catch his hand, and say quite soft and gentle, 'No, no, mon
enfant, enough of making fun of us. Here is the hunder' louis I borrow
of you yesterday. Take your revenge.' The lad sit down slow, looking
ver' strange at M'sieu' Doltaire. And it is true: he took his revenge
out of M'sieu' Cadet, for he win--I saw it--three hunder' louis. Then
M'sieu' Doltaire lean over to him and say, 'M'sieu', you will carry for
me a message to the citadel for M'sieu' Ramesay, the commandant.' Ah, it
was a sight to see M'sieu' Cadet's face, going this way and that. But
it was no use: the young gentleman po