other
_detenus_ had remained in the yard, and some of them, by Barbillon's
advice, had appeared to be disputing, in order to take off the attention
of the turnkey from the room in which were now assembled the Skeleton,
Barbillon, Nicholas, Frank, Cardillac, the Gros-Boiteux, and some
fifteen other prisoners, all awaiting with impatient curiosity until the
_prevot_ should open the business.

Barbillon, charged with the look-out, placed himself near the door. The
Skeleton, taking his pipe from his mouth, said to the Gros-Boiteux:

"Do you know a slim young man named Germain, with blue eyes, brown hair,
and the look of a noodle?"

"What! Is Germain here?" inquired the Gros-Boiteux, with surprise, hate,
and anger in his looks.

"What, then, you know him?" said the Skeleton.

"Know him?" replied the Gros-Boiteux. "Why, my lads, I denounce him as a
nose, and he must be punished!"

"Yes, yes!" replied the prisoners.

"Are you sure it was he who informed against you?" asked Frank; "suppose
it was a mistake,--we mustn't ill-use a man who's innocent."

This remark was displeasing to the Skeleton, who leaned over to the
Gros-Boiteux, and said in his ear:

"Who is this man?"

"One with whom I have worked."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes--but he hasn't gull enough--too much treacle in him."

"Good, I'll keep an eye on him."

"Tell us how Germain turned nose," said a prisoner.

"Yes, let us know all about it, Gros-Boiteux," continued the Skeleton,
who did not take his eyes off Frank.

"Well, then," said Gros-Boiteux, "a man of Nantes, named Velu, a freed
convict, brought up the young fellow, whose birth no one is acquainted
with. When he had reached the proper age they put him into a
banking-house at Nantes, thinking they had put a wolf to watch the
money-box, and make use of Germain to do a bold and great stroke which
had been meditated for a very long time. There were to be two _coups_, a
forgery and a dip into the strong chest at the bank, something like a
hundred and fifty thousand francs. All was arranged, and Velu relied on
the young fellow as on himself, for the chap slept in the room in which
the iron safe was. Velu told him his plans; Germain neither says yes or
no, but reveals all to his employer, and the very same evening cuts his
stick and mizzles to Paris."

The prisoners burst into various murmurs of indignation and threats.

"He's a spy--nose--informer!--and we'll have the bones out of his body!"

"If