in it would smother
the fire for a time, but it might go on smouldering, even now."

"But what does it matter, Jean?"

"It matters a good deal. I have with me only a hundred francs, in
paper, which is not worth above a third of its face value. I have
here four thousand in gold, which I brought with me from Nantes, as
soon as the troubles began. I buried it one day under the
hearthstone of the kitchen, thinking it possible that the Blues
might come here. The money is of the utmost importance now, for we
may want it to bribe some of the jailers; and therefore I must get
it, even if it delays us for a day."

They found indeed that, as they had feared, there was still fire
among the mass of debris.

"We must quench it before we can do anything, Jean. I have no doubt
that the women will help."

Francois was at once sent round and, in a short time, all the women
in the place were assembled with pails. Martin and Francois worked
the windlass of the well, the women carried pails of water, and
Leigh threw the contents on to the smouldering mass above where he
knew the kitchen fireplace must have stood. Clouds of steam rose
and, from time to time, some of the women with rakes pulled off the
upper layer of ashes. They worked till nightfall, by which time
steam had ceased to rise.

"That will do for tonight," Jean said; "we will finish the job
tomorrow morning. Your band will be here by that time, and will
help us to get some of these heavy beams and timbers out of the
way. We can then rake the smaller stuff out, and get at the
fireplace."

At eight o'clock the band arrived. Leigh went down and spoke to
them, and thanked them for the two long marches they had made. He
had, during the afternoon, obtained a supply of bread and wine and,
after they fell out, a meal was eaten before they started for their
homes, promising to be back at six in the morning, to aid in the
work of clearing away the debris.

Jean and Leigh spent a couple of hours in talk with the cure, and
related to him the events that had passed since they had left.
Then, thoroughly tired out, they retired to the room that had been
prepared for them. The work that afternoon had been heavy; they had
had a long ride previously, and neither had slept much the night
before.

The next morning the work was recommenced. During the night the
fire had crept in again, from the surrounding mass; but there were
plenty of hands now, and in an hour it was again extinguish