"Swear! swear!" yelled the men.
Then Jean plucked open his purse, drew out the ring she had sent by him to her father, and said, as he held it aloft—
"See all; I put it on her finger. Do you want to know who she is? Know all that she is the betrothed of Jean del' Peyra, son of the Sieur del Peuch de Ste. Soure."
A shriek—a shriek of horror and agony.
The attention of those crowding in on Noémi and Jean was diverted.
Some men had taken up Peyrot le Fort, and had rammed him with their pitchforks into the fuming pyre of the charcoal-burner, then had massed on sods and clay, and had beat it down over him with their spades.
"Ride! away! ride!" shouted Jean.