"I cannot leave these diamonds here, my wife is half mad," said Morel, pointing to the stones scattered upon the bench; "the person for whom I work will come for them this morning, or in the course of the day. Their amount is considerable." "Good!" said Hoppy, who still remained near the half-open door: "good, good! Screech-Owl shall know that." "Grant me only till to-morrow," urged Morel, "that I may restore the diamonds." "Impossible! We must go immediately." "But I cannot, by leaving the diamonds here, run the risk of their being lost." "Take them with you, a coach waits at the door, which you will have to pay for, with the other expenses. We can call on the owner of the stones; if he is not at home you can place them in the registry at Clichy; they will be as safe there as in the bank. Come, make haste; we will slip away before your wife or children are aware of it." "Grant me only till to-morrow, that I may bury my child!" entreated Morel, with a supplicating voice, half stifled with the sobs he endeavored to restrain. "No! we have already lost more than an hour waiting here." "This burying still worries you, then?" added Malicorne. "Oh! yes, it makes me sad," said Morel, with bitterness; "you so much fear to grieve people. Well, then, a last farewell!" "There, again! confound you, make haste!" said Malicorne, with brutal impatience. "How long have you had the order to arrest me?" "The judgment was signed four months since; but it was only yesterday that our officer received instructions from the lawyer to put it in execution." "Yesterday only. Why was it delayed so long?" "How can I tell? Come, pack up." "Yesterday! and Louise not yet here! Where can she be? what has become of her?" said the lapidary, taking from the bench a card-box filled with cotton, in which he arranged the jewels. "But never mind that; in prison I shall have plenty of time for thinking." "Come, pack up the duds to take with you, and make haste and dress yourself." "I have no clothes to pack up: I have only these diamonds to take away, and place in the prison registry." "Well, then, dress yourself." "I have no other clothes than these." "Going out in these rags?" said Bourdin. "You will be ashamed of me, doubtless," said the lapidary, bitterly. "No, it is of no consequence, since we go in your coach," answered Malicorne. "Father, father! mother is calling you," said one of the children.