"Ah! true; our first guide,--the one that was killed at the ford of the river," said the lieutenant. "Poor woman!" said his companion; "let us leave her in peace. It is a pity to torment her at such a time." "And yet," replied the first officer, "the information of the man we met was precise and circumstantial." "We did wrong not to oblige him to come back with us." "Have you any other room than this?" said the chief officer to the widow. "I have the loft above, and that stable over the way." "Search the loft and the stable; but first, open all the chests and closets, and look carefully in the oven." The soldiers spread themselves through the house to execute these orders. From her terrible hiding-place the young woman heard every word of the conversation. She also heard the steps of the soldiers as they mounted the ladder to the loft, and she trembled with greater fear at that sound than when the officer had attempted to remove the death-sheet that concealed her, for she thought, with terror, that Bonneville's hiding-place was far less safe than her own. When, therefore, she heard those who had gone to search the loft coming down, without any sound of a struggle or cry to show that the men were discovered, her heart was lightened of a heavy load. The first lieutenant was waiting in the lower room, and was seated on the bread-box. The second officer was directing the search of eight or ten of the soldiers in the stable. "Well," asked the first lieutenant, "have you found anything?" "No," said a corporal. "Did you shake the straw, the hay, and everything?" "We prodded everywhere with our bayonets. If there was a man hidden anywhere it is impossible he should have escaped being stabbed." "Very good; then we will go to the adjoining house. These persons must be somewhere." The men left the room, and the officer followed them. While the soldiers continued their exploration the lieutenant stood leaning against the outer wall of the house, looking suspiciously at a little pent-house he resolved to search carefully. Suddenly a bit of plaster, no bigger than a man's finger, fell at his feet. He raised his head and fancied he saw a hand disappearing under the roof. "Here!" he cried to his men, in a voice of thunder. The soldiers surrounded him. "You are a pretty set of fellows!" he said; "you do your business finely!" "What's happened, lieutenant?" asked the men. "It has happened that the men are up there in the very loft you pretend to have searched. Go up again, quick! and don't leave a spear of straw unturned." The soldiers re-entered the widow's house. They went straight to the trap-door and tried to raise it; but this time it resisted. It was fastened from above. "Good! now the matter is plain enough," said the officer, putting his own foot upon the ladder. "Come," he cried, raising his voice to be heard in the loft, "out of your lair, or we'll fetch you."