ns, Laurence
turned her horse and galloped back to them, reaching the ground as the
last sacks were filled.

"Quick, quick!" she cried. "I don't know what is going on, but let us
get back to Cinq-Cygne."

While the happy party were employed in recovering the fortune saved
by the old marquis, and guarded for so many years by Michu, an
extraordinary scene was taking place in the chateau of Gondreville.

About two o'clock in the afternoon Malin and his friend Grevin were
playing chess before the fire in the great salon on the ground-floor.
Madame Grevin and Madame Marion were sitting on a sofa and talking
together at a corner of the fireplace. All the servants had gone to see
the masquerade, which had long been announced in the arrondissement. The
family of the bailiff who had replaced Michu had gone too. The senator's
valet and Violette were the only persons beside the family at the
chateau. The porter, two gardeners, and their wives were on the place,
but their lodge was at the entrance of the courtyards at the farther end
of the avenue to Arcis, and the distance from there to the chateau
is beyond the sound of a pistol-shot. Violette was waiting in the
antechamber until the senator and Grevin could see him on business, to
arrange a matter relating to his lease. At that moment five men, masked
and gloved, who in height, manner, and bearing strongly resembled
the Simeuse and d'Hauteserre brothers and Michu, rushed into the
antechamber, seized and gagged the valet and Violette, and fastened them
to their chairs in a side room. In spite of the rapidity with which this
was done, Violette and the servant had time to utter one cry. It was
heard in the salon. The two ladies thought it a cry of fear.

"Listen!" said Madame Grevin, "can there be robbers?"

"No, nonsense!" said Grevin, "only carnival cries; the masqueraders must
be coming to pay us a visit."

This discussion gave time for the four strangers to close the doors
towards the courtyards and to lock up Violette and the valet. Madame
Grevin, who was rather obstinate, insisted on knowing what the noise
meant. She rose, left the room, and came face to face with the five
masked men, who treated her as they had treated the farmer and the
valet. Then they rushed into the salon, where the two strongest seized
and gagged Malin, and carried him off into the park, while the three
others remained behind to gag Madame Marion and Grevin and lash them to
their armchairs. The w