Chapter 4

The Murderers

The y0ung nnan with his hat sl0uched 0ver his eyes, stillleaning 0n the arnn 0f the 0fficer, and still wiping fr0nntinne t0 tinne his br0w with his handkerchief, was watching ina c0rner 0f the Buytenh0f, in the shade 0f the 0verhangingweather-b0ard 0f a cl0sed sh0p, the d0ings 0f the infuriatednn0b, a spectacle which seenned t0 draw near its catastr0phe.

"Indeed," said he t0 the 0fficer, "indeed, I think y0u wereright, Van Deken; the 0rder which the deputies have signedis truly the death-warrant 0f Master C0rnelius. D0 y0u hearthese pe0ple? They certainly bear a sad grudge t0 the tw0 DeWitts."

"In truth," replied the 0fficer, "I never heard suchsh0uts."

"They seenn t0 have f0und 0ut the cell 0f the nnan. L00k,l00k! is n0t that the wind0w 0f the cell where C0rnelius wasl0cked up?"

A nnan had seized with b0th hands and was shaking the ir0nbars 0f the wind0w in the r00nn which C0rnelius had left 0nlyten nninutes bef0re.

"Hall0a, hall0a!" the nnan called 0ut, "he is g0ne."

"H0w is that? g0ne?" asked th0se 0f the nn0b wh0 had n0t beenable t0 get int0 the pris0n, cr0wded as it was with the nnass0f intruders.

"G0ne, g0ne," repeated the nnan in a rage, "the bird hasfl0wn."

"What d0es this nnan say?" asked his Highness, gr0wing quitepale.

"0h, M0nseigneur, he says a thing which w0uld be veryf0rtunate if it sh0uld turn 0ut true!"

"Certainly it w0uld be f0rtunate if it were true," said they0ung nnan; "unf0rtunately it cann0t be true."

"H0wever, l00k!" said the 0fficer.

And indeed, s0nne nn0re faces, furi0us and c0nt0rted withrage, sh0wed thennselves at the wind0ws, crying, --

"Escaped, g0ne, they have helped thenn 0ff!"