pward
by the blower's suction, and for some minutes Alice was able to help
Coquenil with the new barricade. They built this directly in front of the
iron door, with only space enough between it and the door to allow them to
crouch behind it; they made it about five feet long and three feet high.
Coquenil would have made it higher, but there was no time; indeed, he had
to do the last part of the work alone, for Alice sank back overcome by the
smoke.

"Lie down there," he directed. "Stretch right out behind the logs and keep,
your mouth close to the floor and as near as you can to the crack under the
door. You'll have plenty of cool, sweet air. See? That's right. Now I'll
fix a roof over this thing and pretty soon, if it gets uncomfortable up
here, I'll crawl in beside you. It's better not to look at the silly old
barricade. Just shut your eyes and--rest. Understand little friend?"

"Ye-es," she murmured faintly, and with sinking heart, he realized that
already she was drifting toward unconsciousness. Ah, well, perhaps that was
the best thing!

He looked down at the fair young face and thought of her lover languishing
in prison. What a wretched fate theirs had been! What sufferings they had
borne! What injustice! And now this end to their dream of happiness!

He turned to his work. He would guard her while life and strength remained,
and he wondered idly, as he braced the overhead logs against the iron door,
how many more minutes of life this shelter would give them. Why take so
much pains for so paltry a result?

He turned toward the barricade and saw that the flames were licking their
way through the wall of logs, shooting and curling their hungry red tongues
through many openings. The heat was becoming unbearable. Well, they were at
the last trench now, he was surprised at the clearness and calmness of his
mind. Death did not seem such a serious thing after all!

Coquenil crawled in behind the shelter of logs and crouched down beside the
girl. She was quite unconscious now, but was breathing peacefully,
smilingly, with face flushed and red lips parted. The glorious masses of
her reddish hair were spread over the girls white shoulders, and it seemed
to M. Paul that he had never seen so beautiful a picture of youth and
innocence.

Suddenly there was a crumbling of logs at the passageway and the chamber
became light as day while a blast of heat swept over them. Coquenil looked
out around the end of the shelter and