rsuade her to carry out.

"Now joining Cardillac's house in the Rue Nicaise there is a high wall,
with niches and old stone figures in them, now half crumbled away. One
night I was standing close beside one of these stone images and looking
up at those windows of the house which looked out upon the court
enclosed by the wall. All at once I observed a light in Cardillac's
workshop. It was midnight; Cardillac never used to be awake at that
hour; he was always in the habit of going to rest on the stroke of
nine. My heart beat in uncertain trepidation; I began to think
something might have happened which would perhaps pave the way for me
to go back into the house once more. But soon the light vanished again.
I squeezed myself into the niche close to the stone figure; but I
started back in dismay on feeling a pressure against me, as if the
image had become instinct with life. By the dusky glimmer of the night
I perceived that the stone was slowly revolving, and a dark form
slipped out from behind it and went away down the street with light,
soft footsteps. I rushed towards the stone figure; it stood as before,
close to the wall. Almost without thinking, rather as if impelled by
some inward prompter, I stealthily followed the figure. Just beside an
image of the Virgin he turned round; the light of the street lamp
standing exactly in front of the image fell full upon his face. It was
Cardillac.

"An unaccountable feeling of apprehension--an unearthly dread fell upon
me. Like one subject to the power of magic, I had to go on--on--in the
track of the spectre-like somnambulist. For that was what I took my
master to be, notwithstanding that it was not the time of full moon,
when this visitation is wont to attack the sleeper. Finally Cardillac
disappeared into the deep shade on the side of the street. By a sort of
low involuntary cough, which, however, I knew well, I gathered that he
was standing in the entry to a house. 'What is the meaning of that?
What is he going to do?' I asked myself, utterly astounded, pressing
close against a house-wall. It was not long before a man came along
with fluttering plumes and jingling spur, singing and gaily humming an
air. Like a tiger leaping upon his prey, Cardillac burst out of his
lurking-place and threw himself upon the man, who that very same
instant fell to the ground, gasping in the agonies of death. I rushed
up with a cry of horror; Cardillac was stooping over the man, who lay
on the