YANETTA. I beg you to in the name of your children. They don't know anything yet--but they cry because they see me crying--because, you see, I can't hide it, I can't control myself always in front of them. I can't be cheerful, can I? And then they love me, so they notice it. And they ask me questions, questions. If you only knew! They ask me about you. Andre was asking me again this morning, "Where's father? Are you going to look for him? Tell me, are you going to fetch him?" I told him "yes" and I ran away. You see you must defend yourself so as to get back to them as soon as possible. If you've anything to reproach yourself with, even the least thing, tell it. You are rough sometimes--so--I don't know. But if you went to Irissary, you must say so. Perhaps you had a quarrel with the poor old man. If that was it, say so, say so. Perhaps you got fighting together and you--I'm saying perhaps you did--I don't know--you understand--but his worship promised me just now that if it was like that they wouldn't punish you--or not very much. My God, what am I to say to you? What's to be done? ETCHEPARE. So you believe I'm guilty--you too! Tell me now! Do you believe me guilty too? YANETTA. I don't know! I don't know! ETCHEPARE [_to Mouzon_] Ah, so you've managed that too; you've thought of that too, to torture me through my wife--and it was you put it into her head to speak to me about my children. I don't know what you can have told her, but you've almost convinced her that I'm a scoundrel, and you hoped she'd succeed in sending me to the guillotine in the name of my children, because you know I worship them and they are everything to me. You are right; I dare say there isn't another father living who loves his little ones more than I love mine. [_To Yanetta_] You know that, Yanetta! You know that! And you know too that with all my faults I'm a true Christian, that I believe in God, in an almighty God. Well, then, listen! My two boys--my little Georges, my little Andre--I pray God to kill them both if I'm a criminal! YANETTA [_with the greatest exultation_] He is innocent! I tell you he's innocent! I tell you he's innocent! [_A pause_] Ah, now you can bring your proofs, ten witnesses, a hundred if you like, and you might tell me you saw him do it--I should tell you: It's not true! It's not true! You might prove to me that he had confessed to it himself, and I would tell you it wasn't true! Oh, you must feel it, your worship. You have a heart--you know what it is when one loves one's children--so you must be certain, you too, that he's innocent. You are going to give him back to me, aren't you? It's settled now and you will give him back to me? MOUZON. If he is innocent, why did he lie just now? ETCHEPARE. It was you who lied--you! You told me you had witnesses who saw me leave my house that night--and you hadn't anyone!