'Well,' cried the other, uneasily flinging the end of his cloak over his
shoulder with an oath, 'let them do their worst!'
'Truly I think they will,' murmured John Baptist to himself, as he bent
his head to put his knife in his sash.
Nothing more was said on either side, though they both began walking
to and fro, and necessarily crossed at every turn. Monsieur Rigaud
sometimes stopped, as if he were going to put his case in a new light,
or make some irate remonstrance; but Signor Cavalletto continuing to
go slowly to and fro at a grotesque kind of jog-trot pace with his eyes
turned downward, nothing came of these inclinings.
By-and-by the noise of the key in the lock arrested them both. The sound
of voices succeeded, and the tread of feet. The door clashed, the voices
and the feet came on, and the prison-keeper slowly ascended the stairs,
followed by a guard of soldiers.
'Now, Monsieur Rigaud,' said he, pausing for a moment at the grate, with
his keys in his hands, 'have the goodness to come out.'
'I am to depart in state, I see?' 'Why, unless you did,' returned the
jailer, 'you might depart in so many pieces that it would be difficult
to get you together again. There's a crowd, Monsieur Rigaud, and it
doesn't love you.' He passed on out of sight, and unlocked and unbarred a low door in the
corner of the chamber. 'Now,' said he, as he opened it and appeared
within, 'come out.'
There is no sort of whiteness in all the hues under the sun at all like
the whiteness of Monsieur Rigaud's face as it was then. Neither is there
any expression of the human countenance at all like that expression in
every little line of which the frightened heart is seen to beat. Both
are conventionally compared with death; but the difference is the whole
deep gulf between the struggle done, and the fight at its most desperate
extremity.
He lighted another of his paper cigars at his companion's; put it
tightly between his teeth; covered his head with a soft slouched hat;
threw the end of his cloak over his shoulder again; and walked out into
the side gallery on which the door opened, without taking any further
notice of Signor Cavalletto. As to that little man himself, his whole
attention had become absorbed in getting near the door and looking out
at it. Precisely as a beast might approach the opened gate of his den
and eye the freedom beyond, he passed those few moments in watching and
peering, until the door was closed upon him.