of the judgment and character of Mademoiselle
de Cinq-Cygne. He imagined in his own mind some other motives for the
deed than the restitution of Gondreville. In all things, even in the
magistracy, there is what may be called the conscience of a calling.
Lechesneau's perplexities came from this conscience, which all men put
into the proper performance of the duties they like--scientific men into
science, artists into art, judges into the rendering of justice. Perhaps
for this reason judges are really greater safeguards for persons accused
of wrong-doing than are juries. A magistrate relies only on reason and
its laws; juries are floated to and fro by the waves of sentiment. The
director of the jury accordingly set several questions before his mind,
resolving to find in their solution satisfactory reasons for making the
arrests.

Though the news of the abduction was already agitating the town of
Troyes, it was still unknown at Arcis, where the inhabitants were
supping when the messenger arrived to summon the gendarmes. No one, of
course, knew it in the village of Cinq-Cygne, the valley and the chateau
of which were now, for the second time, encircled by gendarmes.

Laurence had only to tell Marthe, Catherine, and the Durieus not to
leave the chateau, to be strictly obeyed. After each trip to fetch the
gold, the horses were fastened in the covered way opposite to the breach
in the moat, and from there Robert and Michu, the strongest of the
party, carried the sacks through the breach to a cellar under the
staircase in the tower called Mademoiselle's. Reaching the chateau with
the last load about half-past five o'clock, the four gentlemen and Michu
proceeded to bury the treasure in the floor of the cellar and then to
wall up the entrance. Michu took charge of the matter with Gothard to
help him; the lad was sent to the farm for some sacks of plaster left
over when the new buildings were put up, and Marthe went with him to
show him where they were. Michu, very hungry, made such haste that by
half-past seven o'clock the work was done; and he started for home at
a quick pace to stop Gothard, who had been sent for another sack of
plaster which he thought he might want. The farm was already watched
by the forester of Cinq-Cygne, the justice of peace, his clerk and four
gendarmes who, however, kept out of sight and allowed him to enter the
house without seeing them.

Michu saw Gothard with the sack on his shoulder and called to