Paul said to her:
"One of the soldiers here is a priest. If you need his assistance. . . ."
But she did not understand. She did not listen. She merely saw what was happening and what was about to happen; and she stammered without ceasing:
"Mercy! . . . Mercy! . . . Mercy! . . ."
They went out. When they came to the top of the staircase, a word of command reached their ears:
"Present! . . ."
Lest he should hear more, Paul slammed the inner and outer hall-doors behind him.
Outside was the open air, the good pure air with which men love to fill their lungs. Troops were marching along, singing as they went. Paul and Bernard learnt that the battle was over and our positions definitely assured. Here also the Comtesse Hermine had failed. . . .
A few days later, at the Château d'Ornequin, Second Lieutenant Bernard d'Andeville, accompanied by twelve men, entered the casemate, well-warmed and well-ventilated, which served as a prison for Prince Conrad.