"That is just what I ask and all I ask, my little Gervaise,--to go to prison. But the villains refuse to commit me." "O mon Dieu! Jacques," said the young woman compassionately, "have you gone mad?" "There you are! they say that I am mad, and propose to send me to the asylum, while the Châtelet is where I want to go." "You want to go to the Châtelet? What for, Aubry? The Châtelet's a frightful prison; they say that when one gets in there, it's impossible to say when one will come out." "I must get in there, however, I must!" cried the student. "There is no other way to save him." "To save whom?" "Ascanio." "Ascanio? what, that handsome young fellow, your Benvenuto's pupil?" "Himself, Gervaise. He is in the Châtelet, and he's there by my fault." "Great God!" "So that I must join him there," said Jacques, "and save him." "Why is he in the Châtelet?" "Because he loved the provost's daughter, and seduced her." "Poor boy! Why, do they imprison men for that?" "Yes, Gervaise. How you see it was like this: he had her in hiding. I discovered the hiding place, and, like an idiot, like an infamous villain, I told the whole story to everybody." "Except me!" cried Gervaise. "That was just like you!" "Didn't I tell it to you, Gervaise?" "You didn't mention it. You're a great babbler with others, but not with me. When you come here it's to kiss me, to drink, or to sleep,--never to talk. Understand, monsieur, that a woman loves to talk." "Well, what are we doing at this moment, my little Gervaise?" said Jacques. "We are talking, I should say." "Yes, because you need me." "It is true that you could do me a great service." "What is it?" "You could say that I seduced you." "Why, of course you seduced me, you wretch." "I!" cried Jacques in amazement. "I seduced you, Gervaise?" "Alas! yes, that is the word: seduced, monsieur, shamelessly seduced by your fine words, by your false promises." "By my fine words and false promises?" "Yes. Didn't you tell me I was the prettiest girl in the whole quarter of Saint-Germain des Prés?" "I tell you that now." "Didn't you say that, if I didn't love you, you should die of love?" "Do you think I said that? It's strange I don't remember it." "While, on the contrary, if I did love you, you would marry me." "Gervaise, I didn't say that. Never!" "You did say it, monsieur." "Never, never, never, Gervaise. My father made me take an oath like Hannibal's to Hamilcar." "What was that?" "He made me swear to die a bachelor, like himself." "Oh!" cried Gervaise, summoning tears to the assistance of her words with a woman's marvellous power of weeping to order, "oh! you're like all the rest. Promises cost nothing, and when the poor girl is seduced they forget what they promised. I will take my turn at swearing now, and swear that I will never be caught again." "And you will do well, Gervaise," said the student.