comforting to the poor boy concerned in these
preparations, whose blood now curdled in his veins from a vague but most
terrible apprehension. Two personages entered the hall at the moment
when Monsieur de Montresor reappeared.

"Hey, nothing ready!" cried the provost-marshal, to whom the new-comers
bowed with great respect. "Don't you know," he said, addressing the
stout man and his two assistants, "that Monseigneur the cardinal thinks
you already at work? Doctor," added the provost, turning to one of the
new-comers, "this is the man"; and he pointed to Christophe.

The doctor went straight to the prisoner, unbound his hands, and struck
him on the breast and back. Science now continued, in a serious manner,
the truculent examination of the executioner's eye. During this time
a servant in the livery of the house of Guise brought in several
arm-chairs, a table, and writing-materials.

"Begin the _proces verbal_," said Monsieur de Montresor, motioning
to the table the second personage, who was dressed in black, and was
evidently a clerk. Then the provost went up to Christophe, and said to
him in a very gentle way: "My friend, the chancellor, having learned
that you refuse to answer me in a satisfactory manner, decrees that you
be put to the question, ordinary and extraordinary."

"Is he in good health, and can he bear it?" said the clerk to the
doctor.

"Yes," replied the latter, who was one of the physicians of the house of
Lorraine.

"In that case, retire to the next room; we will send for you whenever we
require your advice."

The physician left the hall.

His first terror having passed, Christophe rallied his courage; the hour
of his martyrdom had come. Thenceforth he looked with cold curiosity at
the arrangements that were made by the executioner and his men. After
hastily preparing a bed, the two assistants got ready certain appliances
called _boots_; which consisted of several planks, between which each
leg of the victim was placed. The legs thus placed were brought close
together. The apparatus used by binders to press their volumes between
two boards, which they fasten by cords, will give an exact idea of the
manner in which each leg of the prisoner was bound. We can imagine the
effect produced by the insertion of wooden wedges, driven in by hammers
between the planks of the two bound legs,--the two sets of planks of
course not yielding, being themselves bound together by ropes. These
wedges were driven