"And what answer did he make? what did he do?" queried Gilberte. "He took my hand abruptly, without hesitation; and he pressed it quite hard, although his hand was as cold and stiff as a piece of ice." "And what did he say?" inquired Monsieur Antoine, who had listened to this tale with repressed excitement. "He said 'be off,'" replied the carpenter; "apparently that phrase denotes friendship with him, and he almost ran away to avoid me, as far as his poor thin long legs would enable him to run. And I, for my part, ran here to tell you all this." "And I," said Emile, "will run to my father to tell him of Monsieur de Boisguilbault's intentions, so that he may send some one to him at once, as he requests." "That hardly sets my mind at rest," replied the carpenter. "Your father has a grudge against me; he cannot help recognizing the fact that I am clear of my fine; but he won't want to let me off without the imprisonment; for he can punish me for being a vagabond and shut me up, if it's only for a few days--and that would be too much for me." "Oh!" cried Gilberte, "I know that Jean could never submit to being taken to prison by the gendarmes: he would do some other mad thing. Don't let him be exposed to it, Monsieur Emile; speak to monsieur your father, entreat him, tell him that----" "Oh! mademoiselle," replied Emile warmly, "do not share Jean's bad opinion of my father: it is unjust. I am sure that my father would have done for him to-night or to-morrow what Monsieur de Boisguilbault has done. And as for prosecuting him as a vagabond, I will answer for it with my head that----" "If you will answer for it with your head," interposed Jean, "why not go at once to Monsieur de Boisguilbault? his house is close at hand. When you have arranged matters with him, I shall feel more at ease, for I have confidence in you, and I confess that a single night in prison would drive me mad. The good Lord's child told you so," he said, looking at Gilberte, "and she knows me!" "I will go at once," rejoined Emile, rising, and bestowing upon Gilberte a glance alight with zeal and devotion. "Will you show me the way?" "Come," said the carpenter. "Yes, yes, go!" cried Gilberte, her father and Janille with one breath. Emile saw that Gilberte was pleased with him, and he ran to get his horse. But as he was descending the path on foot with the carpenter, Monsieur Châteaubrun ran after him and said with some embarrassment: "My dear boy, you have a generous heart and great delicacy of feeling, and I can safely confide in you; I must warn you of one thing--of small importance perhaps, but which it is essential for you to know. It is this, that for some reason or other--in short, that I am on bad terms with Monsieur de Boisguilbault, so that there is no use of your mentioning me to him. Avoid mentioning my name before him or telling him that you come from my house; if you do, it may irritate him and cool his kindly disposition toward our poor Jean."