You will observe that from the beginning of this affair I had never once opened my mouth, nor said a word in my defence, which made me mightily pleased with myself afterwards, though my silence came rather from pride than from courage.  To lose life and self-respect together was more than I could face.  But now, at this appeal from my advocate, I turned my eyes from the monster who held me to the other who condemned me.  The brutality of the one alarmed me less than the self-interested attitude of the other, for a man is never so dangerous as when he is afraid, and of all judges the judge who has cause to fear you is the most inflexible.

My life depended upon the answer which was to come to the appeal of my champion.  Lesage tapped his fingers upon his teeth, and smiled indulgently at the earnestness of his companion.

‘Rule 13!  Rule 13!’ he kept repeating, in that exasperating voice of his.

‘I will take all responsibility.’

‘I’ll tell you what, mister,’ said Toussac, in his savage voice.  ’There’s another rule besides Rule 13, and that’s the one that says that if any man shelters an offender he shall be treated as if he was himself guilty of the offence.’

This attack did not shake the serenity of my champion in the least.

‘You are an excellent man of action, Toussac,’ said he calmly; ’but when it comes to choosing the right course, you must leave it to wiser heads than your own.’

His air of tranquil superiority seemed to daunt the fierce creature who held me.  He shrugged his huge shoulders in silent dissent.

‘As to you, Lucien,’ my friend continued, ’I am surprised, considering the position to which you aspire in my family, that you should for an instant stand in the way of any wish which I may express.  If you have grasped the true principles of liberty, and if you are privileged to be one of the small band who have never despaired of the republic, to whom is it that you owe it?’

‘Yes, yes, Charles; I acknowledge what you say,’ the young man answered, with much agitation.  ’I am sure that I should be the last to oppose any wish which you might express, but in this case I fear lest your tenderness of heart may be leading you astray.  By all means ask him any questions that you like; but it seems to me that there can be only one end to the matter.’

So I thought also; for, with the full secret of these desperate men in my possession, what hope was there that they would ever suffer me to leave the hut alive?  And yet, so sweet is human life, and so dear a respite, be it ever so short a one, that when that murderous hand was taken from my chin I heard a sudden chiming of little bells, and the lamp blazed up into a strange fantastic blur.  It was but for a moment, and then my mind was clear again, and I was looking up at the strange gaunt face of my examiner.

‘Whence have you come?’ he asked.

‘From England.’