And he spoke the truth. A noisy burst of laughter, and exclamations of joy proceeding from the prisoners who were walking in the court, interrupted the meeting. Nicholas rose precipitately, and advanced toward the door to ascertain the cause of this unaccustomed noise. "It is the Big Cripple!" cried Nicholas, returning. "The Big Cripple?" said the provost; "and Germain, has he descended from the talking-room?" "Not yet," said Barbillon. "Let him hurry, then," said Skeleton, "that I may give him an order for a new coffin." CHAPTER VIII. THE PLOT. Big Cripple, whose arrival had been hailed by the prisoners in the Lions' Den with such noisy joy, and whose denunciation was to be so fatal to Germain, was a man of middle stature; notwithstanding his obesity and his infirmity, he seemed active and vigorous. His bestial physiognomy, as was the case with most of his companions, much resembled a bull-dog's; his low forehead, his little yellow eyes, his falling cheeks, his heavy jawbones, of which the lower projecting beyond the other was armed with long teeth, or rather, broken tusks, which protruded over the lips, rendered this animal resemblance still more striking; he had on his head an otter-skin cap, and wore over his coat a blue cloak with a fur collar. He entered the hall, accompanied by a man of about thirty years of age, whose brown and sunburnt face seemed less degraded than those of the other prisoners, although he affected to appear as resolute as his companion; sometimes his face became clouded, and he smiled bitterly. The Cripple found himself, to use a vulgar expression, quite at home. He could hardly reply to the felicitations and welcomes which were addressed to him from all sides. "Here you are at last, my jolly bloke! So much the better; we shall have a laugh." "We wanted you, old son!" "You have stayed away a long time." "Yet I have done all I could to return to my friends. It is not my fault if they would not have me sooner." "Just so, my crummy mate; no one will come of his own accord to be caged; but once there, one must enjoy himself." "You are in luck, for Pique-Vinaigre is here." "He also? an old Melun chum! famous, famous, he will help us pass the time with his stories, and customers will not be wanting, for I announce some recruits." "Who then?" "Just now, at the office, while they were enrolling me, they brought in two young coves. One I do not know; but the other, who wore a blue cotton cap and a gray blouse, struck my eye. I have seen the fellow somewhere. I think it was in the White Rabbit: a very fine-looking prig." "Say now, Big Cripple, do you recollect at Melun, I bet you, before a year you would be nabbed?" "That is true; you have won; but I had more chances to be a second comer than to be medaled; but what have you done?" "On the American lay." "Ah! good, always the same fashion!"