p!"

"Ay, give him up!" echoed the man of the pole-axe almost good
humouredly, "or it will be the worse for you. Let us have at him and
get you gone!"

This with an air of much reason, while a growl as of a chained beast
ran through the crowd, mingled with cries of "A MORT LES HUGUENOTS!
VIVE LORRAINE!"--cries which seemed to show that all did not approve of
the indulgence offered us.

"Beware, gentlemen, beware," I urged, "I swear he is not here! I swear
it, do you hear?"

A howl of impatience and then a sudden movement of the crowd as though
the rush were coming warned me to temporize no longer. "Stay! Stay!"
I added hastily. "One minute! Hear me! You are too many for us.
Will you swear to let us go safe and untouched, if we give you passage?"

A dozen voices shrieked assent. But I looked at the butcher only. He
seemed to be an honest man, out of his profession.

"Ay, I swear it!" he cried with a nod.

"By the Mass?"

"By the Mass."

I twitched Croisette's sleeve, and he tore the fuse from his weapon,
and flung the gun--too heavy to be of use to us longer--to the ground.
It was done in a moment. While the mob swept over the barricade, and
smashed the rich furniture of it in wanton malice, we filed aside, and
nimbly slipped under it one by one. Then we hurried in single file to
the end of the room, no one taking much notice of us. All were
pressing on, intent on their prey. We gained the door as the butcher
struck his first blow on that which we had guarded--on that which we
had given up. We sprang down the stairs with bounding hearts, heard as
we reached the outer door the roar of many voices, but stayed not to
look behind--paused indeed for nothing. Fear, to speak candidly, lent
us wings. In three seconds we had leapt the prostrate gates, and were
in the street. A cripple, two or three dogs, a knot of women looking
timidly yet curiously in, a horse tethered to the staple--we saw
nothing else. No one stayed us. No one raised a hand, and in another
minute we had turned a corner, and were out of sight of the house.

"They will take a gentleman's word another time," I said with a quiet
smile as I put up my sword.

"I would like to see her face at this moment," Croisette replied. "You
saw Madame d'O?"

I shook my head, not answering. I was not sure, and I had a queer,
sickening dread of the subject. If I had seen her, I had seen oh! it
was too horrible, too unnatural! Her own sister!