way to the Faubourg Saint Antoine, and given warning to Madame de
Maine of the failure of the expedition. Madame de Maine had immediately
freed the conspirators from their oaths, advised Malezieux and Brigaud
to save themselves, and retired to the Arsenal. Brigaud came therefore
to bid adieu to Madame Denis; he was going to attempt to reach Spain in
the disguise of a peddler. In the midst of his recital, interrupted by
the exclamation of poor Madame Denis and of Mesdemoiselles Athenais and
Emilie, the abbe thought that he heard a cry in the next room, just at
the time when he was relating D'Harmental's catastrophe; but as no one
had paid any attention to the cry, and as he was not aware of Bathilde's
being there, he had attached no importance to this noise, regarding the
nature of which he might easily have been mistaken; moreover, Boniface,
summoned in his turn, had entered at the moment, and, as the abbe had a
particular fancy for Boniface, his entrance had naturally turned
Brigaud's thoughts into a different channel.

Still, this was not the time for long leave-takings; Brigaud desired
that daylight should find him as far as possible from Paris. He took
leave of the Denis family, and set out with Boniface, who declared that
he would accompany friend Brigaud as far as the barrier.

As they opened the staircase-door they heard the voice of the portress,
who appeared to be opposing the passage of some one; they descended to
discover the cause of the discussion, and found Bathilde, with streaming
hair, naked feet, and wrapped in a long white robe, standing on the
staircase, and endeavoring to go out in spite of the efforts of the
portress. The poor girl had heard everything; the fever had changed into
delirium; she would join Raoul; she would see him again; she would die
with him.

The three women took her in their arms. For a minute she struggled
against them, murmuring incoherent words; her cheeks were flushed with
fever, while her limbs trembled, and her teeth chattered; but soon her
strength failed her, her head sank back, and, calling on the name of
Raoul, she fainted a second time.

They sent once more for the doctor. What he had feared was now no longer
doubtful--brain fever had declared itself. At this moment some one
knocked; it was Buvat, whom Brigaud and Boniface had found wandering to
and fro before the house like a ghost; and who, not able to keep up any
longer, had come to beg a seat in some corner, he