“Yes, yes, my man, just as you please?”
M. Fuselier got up, hastily arranged his papers, locking away some in drawers, anxious not to leave any compromising document lying about. He grumbled, “It’s just killing. Here’s a whole week I’ve never been left in peace with these building operations for enlarging the Palais; every hour of the day I have workmen fussing around.”
While the magistrate was speaking, in fact, five or six masons had entered the room. One of these made his way to the window, in front of which was a hanging scaffolding, where two more workmen were standing.
“All right, mates?” shouted the mason.
“All right it is ... and you?”
“We’re right, too—come on and see!”
And then next moment—the words were evidently a signal—there followed an abominable scene of violence and horror.
From the scaffolding two more workmen had jumped down into M. Fuselier’s room. Before they had time to gather their wits together, the magistrate and Juve were seized by the fellows, bound, gagged, and thrown roughly to the ground. M. Fuselier all but lost consciousness; Juve ground his teeth, fighting desperately, dealing blows to right and left, a miracle of strength and courage. But what could he do against the odds? and he was quickly forced to submit.
“Oh! damn the fellow!” one of the masons swore, “it’s a blessing we’ve got him tied! Now, sharp’s the word, my lads! The beak on a chair, and tight up! Hold on with the tec, eh?” By “the tec,” he meant Juve. Two men were kneeling on his chest, another was holding his head down on the floor, a fourth was cording his legs. Dazed and dumbfounded, Juve could make nothing of it all as he watched the bogus masons hurrying to obey the orders of the one who seemed to be in command.
“The beak on the chair, I tell you!” repeated the chief. A handkerchief was twisted round M. Fuselier’s head, knotted ropes secured his legs, his hands were tied behind his back. Then two of the workmen took the unfortunate magistrate, one by the shoulders, the other by the legs, and carried him to an armchair. There he was seated and fixed firmly with ropes. Meantime his mates had finished tying up Juve.