idelity, and that for a mere
trifle, and that for a venial sin! He had surprised her for allowing
herself to be kissed by some gallant; that was all! He had not taken any
notice, but when the man was gone he brought two of his hounds into the
room, and said:

"If you do not want them to tear your inside out as they would a
rabbit's, go down on your knees so that I may thrash you!"

She obeyed in terror, and "the man with the dogs" had beaten her with a
whip until his arm dropped with fatigue. And she did not venture to
scream, although she was bleeding under the blows of the thong, which
tore her dress, and cut into the flesh; all she dared to do was to utter
low, hoarse groans; for while beating her, he kept on saying:

"Don't make a noise, by ----; don't make a noise, or I will let the dogs
fly at your stern."

From that time she had been faithful to Bistaud, though she had
naturally not told anyone the reason for it, nor for her hatred either,
not even Bistaud himself, who thought that she was subdued for all time,
and who always found her very submissive and respectful. But for six
years she had nourished her hatred in her heart, feeding it on silent
hopes and promises of revenge. And it was that flame of hope and that
longing for revenge which made her so coquettish with the custom-house
officers, for she hoped to find a possible avenger among her inflammable
admirers.

At last she came across the right man. He was a splendid sub-officer of
the customs, built like a Hercules, with fists like a butcher's, and who
had long leased four of his ferocious dogs from her husband.

As soon as they had grown accustomed to their new master, and especially
after they had tasted flesh of the smugglers' dogs, they had, by
degrees, become detached from their former master, who had reared them.
No doubt they still recognized him a little, and would not have sprung
at his throat as if he had been a perfect stranger, but still, they did
not hesitate between his voice and that of their new master, and they
obeyed the latter only.

Although the woman had often noticed this, she had not hitherto been
able to make much use of the circumstance. A custom-house officer, as a
rule, only keeps one dog, and this fellow always had half-a-dozen, at
least, in training, without reckoning a personal guard which he kept for
himself and which was the fiercest of all. Consequently, any duel
between some lover assisted by only one dog, and the