for, with the divination with which guilt endows its
subject, she at once knew that the stranger was the
young Montigny, and herself had been cited in order
to suffer a searching cross-examination.

"Woman," said the advocate sternly, and wheeling
his arm-chair round so as to face her, "Woman, where
is your son?"

"Helas!" she exclaimed, and shrugged her shoulders,
as much as to say, "I don't know where he is;" and
smiled a rueful smile.

"No grinning now," cried the lawyer, raising his
finger and shaking it at her, and frowning as he was
wont to do when he wished to intimidate a witness,
"no grinning now, madam. Will you pretend to say
you know nothing of where he was last night, where
he is at present?"

"Helas!" again exclaimed the affrighted Babet:
"sir you forget yourself. Last night? Why it is
yet night. Open the shutters and put out the lamp,
and you will still be in darkness. Let me return to
bed."

"Babet Blais, many a better woman than you have
I wished bedridden," the advocate cried with bitter-
ness. "Beshrew me, but your answer. Remember I
am flint if you are steel, hence the less often we are
smitten together in this enquiry, the fewer may be
the revealing sparks. Babet Blais, here is an affair
of blackest tinder, whereon your bated breath has
blown already, until it glows upon your guilty face,
as grimly as the lurid East that brews a rainy day,
to you the type of tears."

"What do you mean?" demanded the half mysti-
fied and still dissembling woman, in terror.

[[106]]

p105 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p106w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p106a

v?