‘Look out, mes braves,’ gasped the Languedocian, ‘and catch us. Our friend won’t hold long. No, no,’ he continued, as Lachaussée, struggling, tried to free himself from the grip, ‘you don’t shake me off. I will stick to you as the hangman will some day. Come under and hold your scarves.’
The guards were quick in taking the hint. Not a quarter of a minute had passed before they had pulled off their scarves, and some ten or a dozen standing in a circle laid hold of the different ends, pulling them tight, so as to form a sort of network, as they stood in a ring directly beneath Benoit.
In vain Lachaussée tried to get away. Every struggle expended what strength he had remaining, until, unable any longer to cling to the beam, he fell, and Benoit with him. They came heavily down, pulling one or two of the watch to the ground; but the scarves broke their fall of some twelve feet, and the next moment Benoit was on his legs, whilst Lachaussée found himself in the custody of the guard, at the head of which he perceived Sainte-Croix. Gaudin had fallen in with the patrol soon after leaving the house of Exili, and knowing the Chevalier du Guet for the night, had sauntered on in conversation with him at the head of the watch, until they had been attracted to the Rue de l’Hirondelle by Benoit’s cries for assistance.
‘To the lock-up with such a gallows-bird!’ cried Benoit. ‘I can tell you as much about him as will last until to-morrow morning. Guard him well, or the devil will strangle him in the night, as he did the other sorcerers.’
The officer directed his party to move on, guarding Lachaussée between them, whilst Benoit brought up the rear. As they started from the Rue de l’Hirondelle he looked up to the house they had just quitted, and saw Exili’s vulture face peering from one of the windows at the tumult; but of this he took no notice.
On the way to the guard-house Gaudin approached Lachaussée, at a signal from the latter.
‘You can free me if you choose,’ said the superintendent shortly.
‘I shall not interfere in the matter,’ replied Sainte-Croix. ‘Only be satisfied that you are not a prisoner by my agency.’
‘If you refuse to liberate me,’ returned the other, ‘the earth may tell some strange secrets that you would not care should be known.’
‘What do you mean, cur?’ said Gaudin contemptuously.