FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89  
90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   >>   >|  
e Chouette had gone to that part of the hollow way which was the most remote from the path, and nearest to the cross-road where Barbillon was waiting with the hackney-coach. Tortillard, who was posted as an advanced guard, watched for the return of Fleur-de-Marie, whom he was desirous of drawing into the trap by begging her to come to the assistance of a poor old woman. The son of Bras Rouge had advanced a few steps out of the ravine to try and discern Marie, when he heard the Goualeuse some way off speaking to the peasant girl who accompanied her. The plan had failed; and Tortillard quickly went down into the ravine to run and inform the Chouette. "There is somebody with the young girl," said he, in a low and breathless tone. "May the hangman squeeze her weasand, the little beggar," exclaimed the Chouette in a rage. "Who's with her?" asked the Schoolmaster. "Oh, no doubt, the country wench who passed along the road just now, followed by a large dog. I heard a woman's voice," said Tortillard. "Hark!--do you hear? There's the noise of their sabots," and, in the silence of the night, the wooden soles sounded clearly on the ground hardened by the frost. "There are two of 'em. I can manage the young 'un in the gray mantle, but what can we do with t'other? _Fourline_ can't see, and Tortillard is too weak to do for the companion--devil choke her! What can be done?" asked the Chouette. "I'm not strong, but, if you like, I'll cling to the legs of the country-woman with the dog. I'll hold on by hands and teeth, and not let her go, I can tell you. You can take away the little one in the meantime, you know, Chouette." "If they cry or resist, they will hear them at the farm," replied the Chouette, "and come to their assistance before we can reach Barbillon's coach. It is no easy thing to carry off a woman who resists." "And they have a large dog with them," said Tortillard. "Bah! bah! If it was only that, I could break the brute's skull with a blow of my shoe-heel," said the Chouette. "Here they are," replied Tortillard, who was listening still to the echo of their footsteps. "They are coming down the hollow now." "Why don't you speak, _fourline_?" said the Chouette to the Schoolmaster. "What is best to be done, long-headed as you are, eh? Are you grown dumb?" "There's nothing to be done to-day," replied the miscreant. "And the thousand 'bob' of the man in mourning," said the Chouette; "they are gone,
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89  
90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Chouette
 

Tortillard

 
replied
 

ravine

 
hollow
 

Schoolmaster

 

country

 
advanced
 

assistance

 

Barbillon


meantime
 

companion

 

strong

 

fourline

 

coming

 
listening
 

footsteps

 
headed
 
thousand
 

miscreant


mourning

 

Fourline

 

resists

 

resist

 

begging

 

discern

 

accompanied

 

failed

 

quickly

 

peasant


speaking
 

Goualeuse

 

drawing

 
nearest
 

remote

 

waiting

 

hackney

 

desirous

 
return
 
watched

posted

 

wooden

 
sounded
 

silence

 

sabots

 

ground

 

hardened

 

mantle

 

manage

 

hangman