"Who spoke?" asked Marche-a-Terre.
The Chouans looked about them with terrified eyes. These men, so brave
in fight, were unable to face a ghost. Pille-Miche alone continued to
listen to the promises which the flames were now extracting from his
victim.
"Five hundred thousand crowns--yes, I'll give them," cried the victim.
"Well, where are they?" answered Pille-Miche, tranquilly.
"Under the first apple-tree--Holy Virgin! at the bottom of the garden
to the left--you are brigands--thieves! Ah! I'm dying--there's ten
thousand francs--"
"Francs! we don't want francs," said Marche-a-Terre; "those Republican
coins have pagan figures which oughtn't to pass."
"They are not francs, they are good louis d'or. But oh! undo me,
unbind me! I've told you where my life is--my money."
The four Chouans looked at each other as if thinking which of their
number they could trust sufficiently to disinter the money.
The cannibal cruelty of the scene so horrified Mademoiselle de
Verneuil that she could bear it no longer. Though doubtful whether the
role of ghost, which her pale face and the Chouan superstitions
evidently assigned to her, would carry her safely through the danger,
she called out, courageously, "Do you not fear God's anger? Unbind
him, brutes!"
The Chouans raised their heads and saw in the air above them two eyes
which shone like stars, and they fled, terrified.
Pages:
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269