u! Health and youth! For
body or mind, for the old or the young! But enough! Enough, girl!" he
resumed in an altered tone, a tone grown peremptory and urgent. "Get it
me! Do you hear? Stand no longer talking! At any moment they may return,
and--and it may be too late."

Too late! It was too late already. The door shook even as he spoke under
an angry summons. As he stiffened where he stood, his eyes fixed upon
it, his hand still pointing her to his bidding, a face showed white at
the window and vanished again. An instant he imagined it Basterga's; and
hand, voice, eyes, all hung frozen. Then he saw his mistake--to
whomsoever the face belonged, it was not Basterga's; and finding voice
and breath again, "Quick!" he muttered fiercely, "do you hear, girl? Get
it! Get it before they enter!"

Her hand was on the latch of the inner door. Another second and, swayed
by his will, she would have gone up and got the thing he needed, and the
stout door would have shielded them, and within the staircase he might
have taken it from her and no one been the wiser. But as she turned,
there came a second attack on the door, so loud, so persistent, so
furious, that she faltered, remembering that the duplicate key of
Basterga's chamber was in her mother's room, and that she must mount to
the top of the house for it.

He saw her hesitation, and, shaken by the face which had looked in out
of the night, and which still might be watching his movements, his
resolution gave way. The habit of a life of formalism prevailed. The
thing was as good as his, she would get it presently. Why, then, cause
talk and scandal by keeping these persons--whoever they were--outside,
when the thing might be had without talk?

"To-night!" he cried rapidly. "Get it to-night, then! Do you hear, girl?
You will be sure to get it?" His eyes flitted from her to the door and
back again. "Basterga will not return until to-morrow. You will get it
to-night!"

She murmured some form of assent.

"Then open the door! open the door!" he urged impatiently. And with a
stifled oath, "A little more and they will rouse the town!"

She ran to obey, the door flew open, and into the room bundled first
Louis without his cap; and then on his heels and gripping him by the
nape, Claude Mercier. Nor did the latter seem in the least degree
abashed by the presence in which he found himself. On the contrary, he
looked at the Syndic, his head high; as if he, and not the magistrate,
had t