"Poor fellow! No sooner out of quod than back—only a fortnight's liberty! And with a vile accusation fastened to him—smuggling and coining!"
Nibet tried to relieve their minds:
"Haven't I told you," growled he, "that I'm going to get Maître Henri Robart to defend him? He knows how to get round juries: he'll get the Cooper off with an easy sentence."
Nibet looked at his watch:
"It will soon be half-past two! Got to go down! The boatman will be there before long, at the mouth of the sewer!"
Mother Toulouche, who was always in a flurry when smuggled goods were to be unloaded in her cellars, tried to dissuade Nibet:
"You'll never be able to manage it by yourself!"
Nibet glanced at Cranajour. The warder hesitated, then said:
"Since there's no one else, couldn't I take Cranajour with me?"
At first objections were raised; there was a low-voiced discussion, so that the simpleton might not catch what they were saying: Cranajour had never been up to dodges of this kind: so far he had been kept out of them; besides, he was such a senseless cove, he might give things away, make a hash of it!