"No, no! neither you nor him! The muleteers won't regret Malzac if he should die,--quite the reverse; but if he had been injured by any one not belonging to their own body, especially a stranger, your friend Tiennet would be in the greatest danger. Let him sleep; it is enough that he tried to meddle in the affair to make it important that he should keep quiet now. As for you, Brulette, you would be very ill-received; you have not, as I have, a family interest to take you there. No one among them would attempt to injure me; they all know me, and they are not afraid to let me into their secrets." "But do you think you will still find them in the forest? Did not your father say they were going to the uplands, and would not spend the night in this neighborhood?" "They must wait long enough to dress the wounds. But if I do not find them I shall be all the more easy; for it will prove that my brother is not seriously hurt, and that he could start with them at once." "Did you see his wound? tell me, dear Thérence, don't hide anything from me." "I did not see it,--no one saw it; he said he was not hurt, and did not even think of himself. But see, Brulette,--only don't cry out,--here is the handkerchief with which, as I thought, I wiped the perspiration from his face. When I got back here I found it was saturated with blood; and I had to gather all my courage to hide my feelings from my father, who is very anxious, and from Joseph, who is really ill." Then came silence, as if Brulette, taking or gazing at the handkerchief, was choking. Presently Thérence said: "Give it back to me; I must wash it in the first brook I come to." "Ah, no!" said Brulette, "let me keep it; I'll hide it safely." "No, my dear," replied Thérence; "if the authorities get wind of the battle they will come and rummage every place here,--they will even search our persons. They have grown very annoying of late; they want us to give up our old customs, which are dying out of themselves, without their meddling in the matter." "Alas!" said Brulette, "isn't it to be wished that the custom of these dangerous fights should be given up?"