voice; and I believe it, for her
speaking tones are sweetness itself."

"But how did she escape from this wretch, La Louve?"

"Rendered still more furious by the composure of La Goualeuse, she
rushed towards her, uttering menaces, and with her uplifted knife in her
hand. All the prisoners cried out with fear; La Goualeuse alone, looking
at this fierce creature without alarm, smiled at her bitterly and said,
in her sweet voice, 'Oh, kill me! Kill me! I am willing to die. But do
not make me suffer too great pain!' These words, they told me, were
uttered with a simplicity so affecting, that almost all the prisoners
burst into tears."

"I can imagine so," said Madame d'Harville, deeply moved.

"The worst characters," continued the inspectress, "have, fortunately,
occasional good feelings. When she heard these words, bearing the stamp
of such painful resignation, La Louve, touched (as she afterwards
declared) to her inmost core, threw her knife on the ground, fell at her
feet and exclaimed, 'It was wrong--shameful to threaten you, Goualeuse,
for I am stronger than you! You are not afraid of my knife; you are
bold--brave! I like brave people; and now, from this day forth, if any
dare to molest you, let them beware, for I will defend you.'"

"What a singular being!"

"This incident strengthened La Goualeuse's influence still more and
more. A thing almost unexampled here, none of the prisoners accost her
familiarly. The majority are respectful to her, and even proffer to do
for her all the little services that prisoners can render to one
another. I spoke to some of the women of her dormitory, to learn the
reason of this deference which was evinced towards her. 'It is hardly
explicable to ourselves,' they replied; 'but it is easy to perceive she
is not one of us.' 'But who told you so?' 'No one told us; it is easy to
discover it.' 'By what?' 'By a thousand things. In the first place,
before she goes to bed, she goes down on her knees and says her prayers;
and if she pray, as La Louve says, why, she must have a right to do
so.'"

"What a strange observation!"

"These unhappy creatures have no religious feeling, and still they never
utter here an impious or irreligious word. You will see, madame, in all
our rooms small altars, where the statue of the Virgin is surrounded
with offerings and ornaments which they have made. Every Sunday they
burn a quantity of wax candles before them in _ex-voto_. Those who
attend the chap