They found, when they came to it, that the shutter yielded to pressure. Valméras removed a pane with a diamond which he carried. He turned the window-latch. First one and then the other stepped over the balcony. They were now in the castle, at the end of a passage which divided the left wing into two.
“This room,” said Valméras, “opens at the end of a passage. Then comes an immense hall, lined with statues, and at the end of the hall a staircase which ends near the room occupied by your father.”
He took a step forward.
“Are you coming, Beautrelet?”
“Yes, yes.”
“But no, you’re not coming—What’s the matter with you?”
He seized him by the hand. It was icy cold and he perceived that the young man was cowering on the floor.
“What’s the matter with you?” he repeated.
“Nothing—it’ll pass off—”
“But what is it?”