The Duke of Egypt pointed sadly

to the two streams of boiling lead which did not cease to streak the black facade, like two long distaffs of phosphorus.

"Churches have been known to defend themselves thus all by themselves," he remarked with a sigh."Saint-Sophia at Constantinople, forty years ago, hurled to the earth three times in succession, the crescent of Mahom, by shaking her domes, which are her heads.Guillaume de paris, who built this one was a magician Jingling the change in his hand he shook his head."

"Must we then retreat in pitiful fashion, like highwaymen?" said Clopin."Must we leave our sister here, whom those hooded wolves will hang to-morrow."

"And the sacristy, where there are wagon-loads of gold!" added a vagabond, whose name, we regret to say, we do not know.

"Beard of Mahom!" cried Trouillefou.

"Let us make another trial," resumed the vagabond.

Mathias Hungadi shook his head.

"We shall never get in by the door.We must find the defect in the armor of the old fairy; a hole, a false postern, some joint or other."

"Who will go with me?" said Clopin."I shall go at it again.By the way, where is the little scholar Jehan, who is so encased in iron?"

"He is dead, no doubt," some one replied; "we no longer hear his laugh."

The King of Thunes frowned: "So much the worse.There was a brave heart under that ironmongery.And Master pierre Gringoire?"

"Captain Clopin," said Andry the Red, "he slipped away before we reached the pont-aux-Changeurs,"

Clopin stamped his foot."Gueule-Dieu! 'twas he who pushed us on hither, and he has deserted us in the very middle of the job!Cowardly chatterer, with a slipper for a helmet!"

"Captain Clopin," said Andry the Red, who was gazing down Rue du parvis, "yonder is the little scholar."

"praised be pluto!" said Clopin."But what the devil is he dragging after him?"

It was, in fact, Jehan, who was running as fast as his heavy outfit of a paladin, and a long ladder which trailed on the pavement, would permit, more breathless than an ant harnessed to a blade of grass twenty times longer than itself.

"Victory!~Te Deum~!" cried the scholar."Here is the ladder of the longshoremen of port Saint-Landry."

Clopin approached him.