The other men had gathered round the two:
“What is it, sir?”
“Look! an astonishing find! Léon has just picked up a button of the uniform the collectors of the Comptoir National wear.”
While this was going on, a series of ominous cracks had seriously alarmed the unfortunate young man who was still hunched up on his uncomfortable perch. Meantime, however, the police officers had disconsolately taken their departure; they had arrived a dozen men, they returned to headquarters only nine.
Hardly had the constables gone when, suddenly, in a moment, without further warning, the bottom of the Chinese lantern fell out. With a mighty crash Fandor tumbled out on to the floor. Luckily, the ceiling was low; the young man was not hurt, but he lay stunned on the ground, and for some seconds did not know where he was. Then, quickly, with his usual courage, he regained command of himself.
“Good Lord!” he reflected, “I made a hideous noise in falling. Unless everybody is out of the house helping to remove the wounded men, they’ll come here with a rush and find me.” Then, straining his muscles almost to cracking point, Jérôme Fandor, in spite of the intolerable pain these efforts caused him, struggled to unloose his bonds; at all costs he must regain his liberty.
“Ah!” he muttered at last. “I think, down my legs ...” the rope that tied his ankles together had, in fact, yielded a little to his strenuous exertions. A few seconds more, and the rope came loose, he could shake off the coils altogether. He was able to get on his feet, he could get an arm free, unbind his fastenings altogether. But so cramped were his limbs, so numbed by long confinement, that the first step he tried to take, he staggered and had to sit down again.
“If they come up and find me,” he told himself again, “I am done for!”
But little by little the circulation was restored; he could stand on his feet, he could walk!
Then, with the swiftness of decision that was characteristic of him, Jérôme Fandor, without an instant’s hesitation, hurried to the window and leant out over the sill.