of convents and prisons to intercept the view from
without, while the air was still admitted. Briquet imagined this to be
the window of the hall, and thought that if he could gain this place he
could see all. He looked round him; the court had many soldiers and
servants in it, but it was large, and the night was dark; besides, they
were not looking his way, and the porter was busy, preparing his bed for
the night.

Briquet rapidly climbed on to the cornice which ran toward the window in
question, and ran along the wall like a monkey, holding on with his
hands and feet to the ornaments of the sculpture. Had the soldiers seen
in the dark this figure gliding along the wall without apparent support,
they would not have failed to cry, "Magic!" but they did not see him. In
four bounds he reached the window, and established himself between the
bars and the pipe, so that from the inside he was concealed by the one,
and from the outside by the other.

He then saw a great hall, lighted by a torch, and filled with armor of
all sorts. There were enough pikes, swords, halberds, and muskets to arm
four regiments. He gave less attention, however, to the arms than to the
people engaged in distributing them, and his piercing eyes sought
eagerly to distinguish their faces.

"Oh! oh!" thought he, "there is M. Cruce, little Brigard and Leclerc,
who dares to call himself Bussy. Peste! the bourgeoisie is grandly
represented; but the nobility--ah! M. de Mayneville presses the hand of
Nicholas Poulain; what a touching fraternity! An orator, too!" continued
he, as M. de Mayneville prepared to harangue the assembly.

Briquet could not hear a word, but he thought that he did not make much
impression on his audience, for one shrugged his shoulders, and another
turned his back. But at last they approached, seized his hand, and threw
up their hats in the air. But though Briquet could not hear, we must
inform our readers of what passed.

First, Cruce, Marteau, and Bussy had complained of the inaction of the
Duc de Guise.

Marteau was spokesman, and said, "M. de Mayneville, you come on the part
of M. le Duc de Guise, and we accept you as his ambassador; but the
presence of the duke himself is indispensable. After the death of his
glorious father, he, when only eighteen years of age, made all good
Frenchmen join this project of the Union, and enrolled us under this
banner. We have risked our lives, and sacrificed our fortunes, for the
triumph of