" ...for persons doomed to a humiliating obscurity of lot, the inability to lift oneself from it is—"
Two or three words at the beginning of the sentence had been entirely obliterated.
Farther on, upon another page were these two words, but slightly blurred, as if their laconicism was sufficient protection against interpretation:
"Why? By what right—"
And lastly, this more complete sentence was deciphered with great difficulty:
"Through you, great and holy Revolution, the weak became the strong. The hour of vengeance came at last, terrible indeed, but grand and far-reaching in its—"
As David was slowly perusing these words a second time as if to gather their hidden significance, the clock on the mantel struck twelve.
"Twelve!" exclaimed Madame Bastien, in surprise, "twelve o'clock already!"
David rose at once, and, taking the book, said:
"With your permission, madame, I will take this with me. What we have deciphered is very vague, but it may give us a clue to the truth. Good night, madame."