At this point-blank accusation, to his surprise, she rose and said scornfully, with her hands on her hips:
"Ah, I see this is a trick of Louison's."
For answer he displayed the shield of an agent de sûreté. La Mère Baudrier, overwhelmed, fell back, covering her face with her hands, while a single word escaped her:
"Never!"
"Citoyenne," Dossonville cried sternly, "I warn you that only by proving the parentage of your daughter can you clear yourself. If you refuse, you must answer before the Tribunal to the accusation."
The woman shook her head without looking up.
"Le Corbeau! Sans-Chagrin!" he called.
At the noise of their entrance into the hall she sprang up, crying: "Wait! Wait!"
Giving them an order to halt, Dossonville returned, saying roughly: