came up to him, calm and
inexorable as ever. Although she habitually stooped a little, her figure
was still tall for a woman. Holding the willow wand in one hand, with
the other the widow took her son by the arm, and, in spite of alarm,
resistance, prayers, and tears of the child, she dragged him after her,
and made him ascend the staircase at the further end of the kitchen.
After a moment's interval, there was heard heavy trampling, mingled with
cries and sobs. Some minutes afterwards this noise ceased. A door shut
violently; the felon's widow descended. Then, as impassive as ever, she
put the stick in its usual place, seated herself close to the fireplace,
and resumed her occupation, without saying a word.

CHAPTER IV.

THE FRESHWATER PIRATE.

After a silence of several minutes, the criminal's widow said to her
daughter:

"Go and get some wood; we will set the wood-pile to rights when Nicholas
and Martial return home this evening."

"Martial! Do you mean to tell him also that--"

"The wood, I say!" repeated the widow, abruptly interrupting her
daughter, who, accustomed to yield to the imperious and iron rule of her
mother, lighted a lantern, and went out.

During the preceding scene, Amandine, deeply disquieted concerning the
fate of Francois, whom she tenderly loved, had not ventured either to
lift up her eyes, or dry her tears, which fell, drop by drop, on to her
lap. Her sobs, which she dared not give utterance to, almost suffocated
her, and she strove even to repress the fearful beatings of her heart.
Blinded by her fast gathering tears, she sought to conceal her emotion
by endeavouring to pick the mark from the chemise given to her, but,
from the nervous trembling of her hand, she ran the scissors into her
finger sufficiently deep to cause considerable effusion of blood; but
the poor child thought much less of the pain she experienced than of the
certain punishment which awaited her for staining the linen with her
blood. Happily for her, the widow was too deeply absorbed in profound
reflection to take any notice of what had occurred. Calabash now
returned, bearing a basket filled with wood. To the inquiring look of
her mother, she returned an affirmative nod of the head, which was
intended to acquaint her with the fact of the dead man's foot being
actually above the ground. The widow compressed her lips, and continued
the work she was occupied upon; the only difference perceptible in her
being th