'Diable! That sounds odd,' I exclaimed; 'and 'tis so dark here I can hardly lay hands on anything. Oh! Here they are—now come along.'
As I opened the door to lead the way out I saw a flash of light on the staircase, and Madame Pan-tin appeared, bearing a lighted candle in her hand.
'I was coming to light your room, monsieur,' she said.
'It is good of you; but what is my new knave doing?'
'If Monsieur will step towards the loft, near Couronne's stall, he will see that Ravaillac is absorbed in his devotions—perhaps Maître Palin would care to see also?'
'Not I,' said Palin.
'But, at any rate, his devotions should not interfere with his duties,' I burst out; 'it will take but a minute to bring him to his senses. Excuse me for a moment, Palin—Madame will see you as far as the door, and I will join you there.'
And without waiting for a reply I ran down towards the stables, and on coming there heard the voice of some one groaning and sobbing. Peering up into the darkness of the loft above me, I could see nothing, but heard Ravaillac distinctly, as he writhed in a mental agony and called on God to save him from the fires of hell. The first thought that struck me was that the youth was ill, and, clambering up the ladder that led to the loft, I found him there in the dim light, kneeling before a crucifix, beating at his heart, and calling on himself as the most miserable of sinners.
'Ravaillac!'—and I put my hand on his shoulder—'what ails you, man? Are you ill?' He turned his face up towards me; it was paler than ever, and he screamed out, 'My hour is come—leave me—leave me! Our Lady of Sorrows intercede for me, for I know not how to pray,' and with a half-smothered howl he fell forwards on his face before the crucifix, and, clasping it with both hands, began to sob out his entreaties to God anew. I saw that it was useless wasting further time on him, and that he had been taken with one of those frenzy fits that had before driven him to the Flagellants. I left him, therefore, to come to himself, and muttering that Belin might have told me of this foible, came backwards down the ladder to find that Palin and Madame Pantin had followed me, and were but a few yards away.
'Did you hear?' I asked, as I joined them; 'is it not strange?'