in peace for awhile; then some fine day we will
come across him before sunrise or sunset."

"But what is he doing now, at this moment? He may be slipping through
our fingers," said the fat Cointet.

"He is in his house," answered Doublon; "if he left it, I should know. I
have one witness posted in the Place du Murier, another at the corner of
the Law Courts, and another thirty paces from the house. If our man came
out, they would whistle; he could not make three paces from his door but
I should know of it at once from the signal."

(Bailiffs speak of their understrappers by the polite title of
"witnesses.")

Here was better hap than Kolb had expected! He went noiselessly out of
the office, and spoke to the maid in the kitchen.

"Meestair Touplon ees encaged for som time to kom," he said; "I vill kom
back early to-morrow morning."

A sudden idea had struck the Alsacien, and he proceeded to put it into
execution. Kolb had served in a cavalry regiment; he hurried off to see
a livery stable-keeper, an acquaintance of his, picked out a horse, had
it saddled, and rushed back to the Place du Murier. He found Madame Eve
in the lowest depths of despondency.

"What is it, Kolb?" asked David, when the Alsacien's face looked in upon
them, scared but radiant.

"You have scountrels all arount you. De safest way ees to hide de
master. Haf montame thought of hiding the master anywheres?"

When Kolb, honest fellow, had explained the whole history of Cerizet's
treachery, of the circle traced about the house, and of the fat
Cointet's interest in the affair, and given the family some inkling
of the schemes set on foot by the Cointets against the master,--then
David's real position gradually became fatally clear.

"It is the Cointet's doing!" cried poor Eve, aghast at the news; "_they_
are proceeding against you! that accounts for Metivier's hardness. . . .
They are paper-makers--David! they want your secret!"

"But what can we do to escape them?" exclaimed Mme. Chardon.

"If de misdress had some liddle blace vere the master could pe hidden,"
said Kolb; "I bromise to take him dere so dot nopody shall know."

"Wait till nightfall, and go to Basine Clerget," said Eve. "I will
go now and arrange it all with her. In this case, Basine will be like
another self to me."

"Spies will follow you," David said at last, recovering some presence of
mind. "How can we find a way of communicating with Basine if none of us
can go to her?"