77¦¦¦:¦•    11 7,777-
ket. It is a treasure. It will enable thee to find
thy mother again. Thou carriest thy mother about
thy neck.'   The Egyptian foretold it, you see."
The recluse again clasped her daughter in her
arms. "Come, let me kiss thee ! how sweetly thou
saidstthat! When we go into the country we
will give those little shoes to an infant Jesus in the
church. We certainly owe so much as that to the
kind Holy Virgin. But, what a charming voice
thou hast ! When thou wert speaking to me iust
now, it was like music. Ah! I have found my
child again! And yet who would believe the
story ! Surely nothing can kill one, since I have
not died of joy."
She then began to clap her hands, laughing and
exclaiming :   " How happy we shall be ! "
At that moment the cell rang with the clank of
arms and the tramp of horses, which seemed to
be advancing from the bridge of Notre Dame along
the quay. The Egyptian threw herself in un-
utterable anguish into the arms of the recluse
"Save me!" she shrieked; "save me, mother'
they are coming ! "
The recluse turned pale. " 0 heavens ' what
say'st thou ! I had forgotten ! they are searching
for thee !   What hast thou done, then ? "
" I know not," answered the un-
fortunate girl; "but I am con-
demned to die."
"Die!" cried Gudule reeling, as
if stricken by a thunderbolt. " Die ! "
she slowly   repeated,  fixing   her
glazed eye upon her daughter.
"Yes, mother," replied the af-
frighted girl, "they mean to put
me to death.   They are coming to
take me.   That gibbet is for me.
Save me ! save me !   They are com-
ing!   Save me !"
For some moments the recluse
remained motionless   as a statue;
she then shook her head doubtingly'
and suddenly burst into a loW
laugh, her old terrific laugh:   "No
no, thou must be dreaming.   It can
not be.   To lose her  for fifteen
years, and then to find her for a
single minute !   And  they would
take her from me again, now that
she is grown up and handsome, and
talks to me and loves me !   They
would now come to devour her be-
fore my face—mine, who am her
mother!   Oh no!   Such things are
not possible.   God Almighty would
not permit such doings."
By this time the cavalcade had ap-
parently halted.    A distant voice
was heard calling out :   " This way,
Messire Tristan F   The priest says
that we shall find her at the Trou-
aux-Rats." The tramp of the horses
began again.
•hri? "?SIuse¦8tarted «P with a
shriek of despair.  "Away'begone
my child! I now recollect ifau!
Thou art right. 'Tis for thy death.
Curses on them !   Away ! »
She put her head outo'f the win-
Si anlLqui?kly drew it back
again "stay!" said she, in a low,
«Ti' I01?'' convulsively grasping
ier^ndw°Lthe %yPtian, who waf
more dead than alive.   " Stay ! hold
!:L-breatlii  The Place is full of
feugThht!»ucanstnot«6t^
Po?f ,E Wf tdry and inflamed.
bnf IS'?' ?hS remained silent :
2 anfdhUmld steP she Paced
5*J«  her cell,   stopping
Eff,"d fth,en'  aud  tearing out
she da h'f her £ray hair> which
sne dashed upon the floor.
nwilietaîketn°thing !'78,he Maimed all at once.
They villi»° *T   HlTde £yself in this corner.
tte^rCtthL'h'cf-t x wiU tell them that I let
Catchin^nr, ft U ^f* "in away-that I will ! »
to a corner f^f'r'hF"1 ÎP hef 1rms-she carried her
from without    Ï.LCeF wh'ch could not be seen
faking "are Lt^-f,8lle*m?deher crouch down
frudebeyond the dà{r^ nor hand should pro
k.r-   "xt'iu ine dark shadrrar-   innaaA hn. 1,1X1
S™NCHBACILOF_NOTRE DAME.
tad.ftŒ«0^,oSSS,^f»alosk »of ai
what you mean "           ' ^^«red, "I know not
' Tete-Dieu ! » cried theother,
Where
^didl^cra^rXcSt:ffikind °f
is he?
has^fcT/" 8aid °neof *» Midlers, "he
™S: "iëtVh^?htsrd the com-
wr«v.otheetohoid
•   A sorceress
What hast thou done
thh'g srhtUmi^ateketes!,eSt-b^ denying e™y
tone of affectersincCThv ,ndS? C r"' replied in a
mean ayounggirihit f i ^  If you
"IameTrisetann & uLT.Z™" rejoined he-
a -wffltiK^at the pi- *
If you were Satan the Hermit," replied Gudule,
prësenl"rUe 6n°Ugh'" said an°«ier archer, "I was
perPleeX^reSibeU°Utia-re 8Ur4to mee*™th
ed tLtimSny ^meXwev vèdgih«hi8 unexpect-
felt, during this interrompt i.Lhe reoLU8e' wh°
cross an abyss on th^dge^ôf'a^nife^^ tî°
aWnad8adla0r°r l° « <»^ Mffiftft
WWad' ,^^a8J^e ara LnToKd."6 dmen
ENTWINED HEB ABMS ABOUND HEB DAUGHTER'S WAIST.
trade beyondthe 7f4 Ï, a1 nor hand should pro-
hair, whfch le LrS 8hadïw' loosed her black
WiX TlT¥ad over her white robe to con-
flit and nlaceriP w      u her white robe to con-
PavingXiPe'.Te fej^? TfAH and
I
Bats.           obscurity still pervaded the Trou-aux
Wseiffidtv im! J)n.ly movables that she pos-
hMeh'e? Tii "Z TH that they would helP to
,own,and prayed°VL7>fa. ™™ <?'•». knelt
hope, "I should have nothing
neither should  I be afraid of
#;»• V0i?e of the Priest, that in-
"This way CaSpei,ry^08? to the cell crying :
A'that name TtLhtœb^8 de. Chateaupers !» B
a slight movémèn  thacv-01ce'^a Esmeralda made
,.si'MudSeVu&r-! saidGuduK
talB«it"5,hoC^!fn^ttered the words when a
he ZtHeia"d "ï?" was heard outside the
cell
}^A Z£ »7r^ai^steThe^S
'erior. She behli'0 lntercept the view of the in-
ft?11.. foot and hoL» "un,er0U8 body of armed
ï^r commande ,^'t *d?wn,uP in the Grève.
,her- He was a A lgllttef a"d advanced toward
yoman,» he said™?   of truculent aspect.   " Old
kaog her: we wèreTniHal;?, wikin^ a peeress to
we were told that thoujadst her."
regaining some
else to tell you,
you."
2*i"%mill!" cried Tristan, « there's a hag for
you 1 bo, the young sorceress has escaped. And
which way is she gone?"
"Down the Rue du Mouton, I believe,"answered
Ovudule, m a careless tone.
Tristan turned his head, and motioned to his
troop to prepare to start.   The recluse began to
OrGîiLllfi 3,^3,111.
"Monseigneur," said one of the archers, all at
once, 'ask the old witch why the bars of her win-
dow are broken in this fashion."
That question once more overwhelmed the
heart of the wretched mother with anguish. She
nevertheless  retained  some  presence of mind
They were always so," stammered she.
'Pooh!" replied the archer, "they formed but
yesterday a fair black cross, fit to remind a man of
his prayers."
Tristan cast a sidelong glance at the recluse
"By my fay," said he, "the hag does begin to
look confused."
The wretched woman felt that all depended on
keeping up a bold face, and, while her soul was
racked with mortal anguish, she fell a-laughing.
Mothers have this kind of force. "Pshaw!" said
she, " that fellowis drunk. It is more than a year
since the tail of a cart laden with stones was
backed against my window, and broke the grat-
ing.   How I did abuse the driver ! "
Aha i» 7aaa rr ¦.     .    ,"m outward."
"ThUi"/"-,g,^lnl)ledTristan-
"A month—a fortnight, nerhans
-Momeigneur.   I can Lt'SS
"She said at first aboveavear"
observed the soldier.              y    '
provo'stf l0°kS suspicious." said the
"Monseigneur,"   she   exclaimed,
still  standing close to the window
pf putting m their heads and look-
ing about the cell; " Monseigneur f
hS?£&,?U that il.Wa8a cart which
broke this îrpn-work. I swear it by
the angels m paradise. If it was
not a cart, may eternal perdition be
+hr,Tho*ï,,art.,.i!i..£ooa earnest in
tinfzi0nagth,ook?ldTrl8tan'Withascr'1-
„J!£? P°or. creature felt her assur-
ance forsaking her by degrees. She
was so confounded as to make
awkward blunders, and she ner-
çeived with terror that she wasS
saying what she ought to have said.
A  soldier now came up, crying.
Thl°nrr8iHgSeUr'  thVd   ^Vitch   lief
d,, %/"} hasmPot been in the Bue
du Mouton.  The chain has been up
*A igU' .aild the keePer has not
seen a creature pass."
Tristan, whose look became every
moment more threatening, turned
slytethTs1"'6-' "What»a8tthouto
wiiln ki?ow..not' Monseigneur," re-
«<%£,., t'fï'11 strivin? to make head
against this new incident; "I may
be mistaken. In fact,I almost think
sfle must have crossed the water."
„,„„>> y'-j a}, is the very contrary
Kl8al,d ,th^ Provost- "Besides,
tis not likely that she would have
gone back to the city, where search
was making  for her.   Thou liest,
' And then," added the first sol-
dier,   'there is  no   boat either on
other "                  Water or on the
,." She must have swum over," re-
plied  the  recluse,  defending  the
ground inch by inch.
';Who   ever heard   of    women
«TV* n,-s, , B™mmms?   cried the soldier.
«„J*«£*««/old woman; thou liest! thou liest!»
exclaimed Tristan, with vehemence.    "I have a
good mind to let the young sorceress cro and â
fake thee instead.   A quartfr ofFan hours' tortoe
sriSo^^n0^01 ^iiro,U   Com»
forfhSith P>amMreadyV-,Take ""»• iet us be gone
te wîT/'hJ Mea"wh e, thought she, my daugh-
ter wil  have opportunity to escape.
SWood ! 'cried the provost, 'f what greediness
crftorture!   The mad creature complete puzzles
An old gray-headed sergeant of the watch ad-
vanced from the ranks. "Mad indeed, Monseig-
neur," said he, addressing the provost. "If she
bas let loose the Egyptian, 'tis not her fault, for
she is not fond of the Egyptians. Por these fif-
teen years that I have belonged to the watch I
nave heard her every night cursing the Bohemian
women with bitter and endless execrations If
the one we are seeking be, as I suppose, the danc-
abovf 'all ""            g°at' * kn°W that "he hates her
Gudule made an effort, and repeated, "Above
The unanimous testimonyof the men belonging-
to the watch confirmed the representation ofthe
old sergeant. Tristan the Hermit, despairing of
being able to extract any information from thlre-
cluse, turned his back upon her, and wUh ine^
A"'