nderstood! These were the thieves! They had come to strip
Monneau's field! They quickly cut the artichoke heads and heaped them up
in the baskets. The woman had taken the cart away; evidently they did
not want it to stay on the road while they worked for fear of attracting
the attention of anyone passing by.

What would happen to her if the thieves saw her? She had heard that
thieves sometimes killed a person who caught them at their work. There
was the chance that they would not discover her. For they certainly knew
that the hut would not be occupied on this night that they had planned
to strip the field. But if they caught her? And then ... if they were
arrested, she would be taken with them!

At this thought cold beads of perspiration broke out on her forehead.
Thieves work quickly; they would soon have finished!

But presently they were disturbed. From the distance could be heard the
noise of a cart on the paved road. As it drew nearer they hid
themselves, lying down flat between the artichoke beds.

The cart passed. Then they went on with their work even more quickly. In
spite of their feverish haste it seemed to little Perrine that they
would never be finished. Every moment she feared that someone would come
and catch them and she be arrested with them.

If she could only get away. She looked about her to see if it were
possible for her to leave the hut. This could easily be done, but then
they would be sure to see her once she was on the road. It would be
better to remain where she was.

She lay down again and pretended to sleep. As it was impossible for her
to go out without being seen, it was wiser to pretend that she had not
seen anything if they should come into the hut.

For some time they went on cutting the artichokes. Then there was
another noise on the road. It was their cart coming back. It stopped at
the end of the field. In a few minutes the baskets were all stowed in
the cart and the thieves jumped in and drove off hurriedly in the
direction of Paris.

If she had known the hour she could have slept until dawn, but not
knowing how long she had been there, she thought that it would be better
if she went on her way. In the country people are about at an early
hour. If, when day broke, the laborers going to work saw her coming out
of the hut, or even if they saw her round about the field, they might
suspect her of having been with the thieves and arrest her.

So she slipped out of the hut, ears