at the stone. For a few minutes there was a pause, and a hurry,

and a murmur, and the unintelligible sound of his voice; and then

Mr. Lorry saw him, surrounded by all, and in the midst of a line of

twenty men long, all linked shoulder to shoulder, and hand to

Charles Dickens ElecBook Classics

shoulder, hurried out with cries“Live the Bastille prisoner! Help

for the Bastille prisoner’s kindred in La Force! Room for the

Bastille prisoner in front there! Save the prisoner Evremonde at

La Force!” and a thousand answering shouts.

He closed the lattice again with a fluttering heart, closed the

window and the curtain, hastened to Lucie, and told her that her

father was assisted by the people, and gone in search of her

husband. He found her child and Miss Pross with her; but, it never

occurred to him to be surprised by their appearance until a long

time afterwards, when he sat watching them in such quiet as the

night knew.

Lucie had, by that time, fallen into a stupor on the floor at his

feet, clinging to his hand. Miss Pross had laid the child down on

his own bed, and her head had gradually fallen on the pillow

beside her pretty charge. O the long, long night, with the moans of

the poor wife! And O the long, long night, with no return of her

father and no tidings!

Twice more in the darkness the bell at the great gate sounded,