The
gold is here in this cupboard, at the head of my bed, in a stout oaken
chest. You must find strength to move the chest--you must. You can
fasten a sheet around it and let it down gently from the window into the
garden. You will then leave the house as you entered it, and as soon as
you are outside, you must take the chest and carry it to your home. The
night is very dark, and no one will see you, if you are careful. But
make haste; my strength is nearly gone.'
"The chest was heavy, but I was very strong.
"In less than ten minutes the task of removing the chest from the
chateau was accomplished, without a single sound that would betray us.
As I closed the window, I said:
"'It is done, godmother.'
"'God be praised!' she whispered; 'Sairmeuse is saved!'
"I heard a deep sigh. I turned; she was dead."
This scene that M. Lacheneur was relating rose vividly before him.
To feign, to disguise the truth, or to conceal any portion of it was an
impossibility.
He forgot himself and his daughter; he thought only of the dead woman,
of Mlle.
Pages:
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43