Hullin turned round at this moment and saw Dame Lefévre, who was standing a few paces off, and listening attentively.
"What! were you there, Catherine?" said he. "Our affairs are beginning to take a bad turn."
"Yes, I understand: there are no means of renewing our provisions."
"Our provisions," said Brenn, with a strange smile. "Do you know, Dame Lefévre, for how long we have enough?"
"Why, for a fortnight," replied the brave woman.
"We have enough for a week," said the smuggler, emptying the ashes of his pipe upon his nail.
"It is the truth," said Hullin; "Marc Divès and I believed in an attack on the Falkenstein; we never thought the enemy would dream of beleaguering it like a fortified place. We have been mistaken!"
"And what are we going to do?" asked Catherine, turning quite pale.
"We are going to reduce every one's rations to half. If in a fortnight Marc does not arrive, we shall have nothing more—and then we shall see!"