d
how the dog howls still!"

"Amandine, I hear nothing now," said Francois, going towards the door.

The two children held their breath, and listened anxiously.

"They are coming from my brother's room," said Francois, in a low voice;
"I hear them walking in the passage."

"Let us throw ourselves on our beds; mother would kill us if she found
us out of bed," said Amandine, terrified.

"No," said Francois, still listening; "they have just passed by our
door, and are running down the staircase."

"Oh, dear, oh, dear, what can it be?"

"Ah, now they are opening the kitchen door."

"Do you think so?"

"Yes, yes; I know the sound."

"Martial's dog is still howling," said Amandine, listening. Suddenly she
exclaimed, "Francois, our brother calls us."

"Martial?"

"Yes; don't you hear him? Don't you hear him now?"

And at this moment, in spite of the thickness of the two closed doors,
the powerful voice of Martial, who called to the children from his room,
reached them.

"Indeed, we can't go to him; we are locked in," said Amandine. "They
must be doing something wrong to him, as he calls us."

"Oh, as to that, if I could hinder them," exclaimed Francois,
resolutely, "I would, even if they were to cut me to pieces!"

"But our brother does not know that they have double-locked our door,
and he will believe that we would not go to his help. Call out to him
that we are locked in, Francois."

The lad was just going to do as his sister bade him, when a violent blow
was struck outside the shutter of the window of the room in which the
two children were.

"They are coming in by the window to kill us!" cried Amandine, and, in
her fright, she threw herself on her bed and hid her head between her
hands.

Francois remained motionless, although he shared his sister's terror.
However, after the violent blow we have mentioned, the shutter was not
opened, and the most profound silence reigned throughout the house.
Martial had ceased calling to the children.

A little assured, and excited by intense curiosity, Francois ventured to
open the window a little way, and tried to look out through the leaves
of the blind.

"Mind, brother!" said Amandine, in a low voice, and sitting up when she
heard Francois open the shutter.

"Can you see anything?" she added.

"No, the night is too dark."

"Don't you hear anything?"

"No, the wind is too high."

"Come in, then; come in."

"Oh, now I see something!"

"What?"