"Henri! Henri!" she cried, "where are you? They have left him in the cabinet. O God be merciful!"
She ran after Riche in an agony of fear, "Quick, doctor, come and help me and get the professor away, he is asleep in the cabinet."
"My dear child, I dare not wake him; he told me on no account to disturb him, but we can stand by and remove him as soon as there is any danger. It will only be the work of a minute to carry him out into the garden. You need not be alarmed, there is nothing to fear." At this moment Céleste joined them.
"What can have caused the fire?" she asked.
"Oh, pray don't discuss that now. Let us set to work to put it out," said Riche.
"Do you think Pierre has had anything to do with this?"
"How could Pierre have done it? He is not in the house," replied Riche, "He left some time ago; don't you remember his telling us that he had to go to his office at once, and asking us to apologise to Madame Villebois for him?"
"Of course I do," replied Céleste, "but I am not so sure that he did leave the house."
"What do you mean?" asked Renée, who had heard her sister's remark.