'Hark! what is that noise?' asked the governor, holding up his finger; 'I have heard it repeatedly.' The Intendant listened; and directly heard a voice shouting in a peculiar, unearthly tone. The voice came from without, as though from some one floating in the air. What the words were that were spoken, they could not catch. Along with that sound rose inarticulate murmurs, which were wafted in through the window. 'Have you done?' asked the governor; 'I must make enquiries. Well, what is it, Guyon?' This question was addressed to a turnkey who came up. 'Monsieur, there is a crowd in the street. There is great excitement. They are collecting from all quarters.' 'What is bringing them together?' 'Monsieur, I do not know.' 'Curse the fellow! go and see.' The turnkey turned off; he had not reached the end of the corridor, before another came from that direction, met him, and ran towards M. de Launay. 'Well!' 'M. le Gouverneur!' said the jailer, 'the Marquis de Sade is congregating a mob.' 'What is he about? Has he got out?' 'Monsieur, you know that since the cannons on the battlements have been loaded, he has been interdicted the promenade there, and that he has been very angry about it.' 'I know, I know, Lassimotte!' 'Sir! he threatened me, that if I did not procure from your honour a favourable reply to his demand, that he should be allowed to resume his walk on the towers, he would arouse all Paris.' 'You never told me of this.' 'No, sir; I knew your honour did not want to be troubled with these messages. If I were to convey to you one-half of those given me----' 'I know; go on with the story. What has he done?' 'Why, you know, monsieur, he is allowed a long tin pipe with a funnel at the end for emptying his slops from his window into the moat. He has reversed the tube, and thus converted it into a speaking-trumpet.' De Launay clapped his hands and laughed. 'Monsieur, he has been shouting for nearly half an hour to the people in the Rue S. Antoine, entreating them to assist him, crying out that you were assassinating him, that he was being tortured to death.' 'And the people have heard?' 'Monsieur, we did not know what it was that drew the people together. No one suspected for a moment----' 'Has the trumpet been removed from him, Lassimotte?' 'Yes, monsieur; the instant we discovered whence the voice came, we flew to his cell and wrested the instrument from his lips. He struggled to retain it, but Chouard and I took it from him by force.' 'M. Berthier,' said the governor, 'you must really excuse me; this must be looked to at once.' 'I am quite ready,' answered the Intendant; 'this girl had better be removed, had she not? And please remember I have no objection whatever to her revisiting my delectable wife. Madame Plomb, I bid you a respectful farewell, and please set your mind at rest upon the little matter we were speaking about. Gabrielle shall never procure your release, in the way you mentioned, or in any other.'