ugh the miller was tenant and vassal to the Sieur de Poissy, he
seemed to me to be much more in league with the people of M. de la
Tourelle. He was evidently aware, in part, of the life which Lefebvre
and the others led; although, again, I do not suppose he knew or
imagined one-half of their crimes; and also, I think, he was seriously
interested in discovering the fate of his master, little suspecting
Lefebvre of murder or violence. He kept talking himself, and letting
out all sorts of thoughts and opinions; watched by the keen eyes of
Lefebvre gleaming out below his shaggy eyebrows. It was evidently not
the cue of the latter to let out that his master's wife had escaped
from that vile and terrible den; but though he never breathed a word
relating to us, not the less was I certain he was thirsting for our
blood, and lying in wait for us at every turn of events. Presently he
got up and took his leave; and the miller bolted him out, and stumbled
off to bed. Then we fell asleep, and slept sound and long.

The next morning, when I awoke, I saw Amante, half raised, resting on
one hand, and eagerly gazing, with straining eyes, into the kitchen
below. I looked too, and both heard and saw the miller and two of his
men eagerly and loudly talking about the old woman, who had not
appeared as usual to make the fire in the stove, and prepare her
master's breakfast, and who now, late on in the morning, had been found
dead in her bed; whether from the effect of her master's blows the
night before, or from natural causes, who can tell? The miller's
conscience upbraided him a little, I should say, for he was eagerly
declaring his value for his housekeeper, and repeating how often she
had spoken of the happy life she led with him. The men might have their
doubts, but they did not wish to offend the miller, and all agreed that
the necessary steps should be taken for a speedy funeral. And so they
went out, leaving us in our loft, but so much alone, that, for the
first time almost, we ventured to speak freely, though still in hushed
voice, pausing to listen continually. Amante took a more cheerful view
of the whole occurrence than I did. She said that, had the old woman
lived, we should have had to depart that morning, and that this quiet
departure would have been the best thing we could have had to hope for,
as, in all probability, the housekeeper would have told her master of
us and of our resting-place, and this fact would, sooner or late