"Silence!" cried the president; "the Commune returns."
At this moment the sound of a carriage was heard outside, amid the noise of shouts and arms.
Simon turned uneasily toward the door.
"Quit the box," said the president to him; "you have nothing more to tell." Simon descended.
At this moment some gendarmes entered, with a crowd of curious idlers, which was soon driven back, and a woman was pushed toward the judgment-hall.
"Is it she?" whispered Lorin to Maurice.
"It is," replied Maurice. "Miserable woman, she is lost!"
"The flower-girl! the flower-girl!" murmured the Tribunes, whose curiosity was raised to the highest pitch. "Is this the flower-girl?"
"I demand, before everything else," roared Simon, "the deposition of the woman Tison. You commanded her to testify, President, and she has not yet done so."