Maurice Leblanc

“ All Veronique's apprehensions returned:
“And suppose they make their way out of the tunnel meanwhile?”
“Come, come, mother,” he laughed, “you promised to have confidence. To get out of the tunnel would take them an hour's hard work; and we should hear them. Besides, what's the use of talking, mother? I'll be back at once.”
He ran off.
“Francois! Francois!” ”

“ Stephane is a perfect swimmer; and so... Yes, yes, mother, we must not despair... on the contrary.... Look, here's a friend who always comes at the worst times, to declare that everything is not lost.”
All's Well came trotting along. The sight of his master did not appear to surprise him. Nothing unduly surprised All's Well. Events, to his mind, always followed one another in a natural order which did not disturb either his habits or his occupations. Tears alone seemed to him worthy of special attention. And Veronique and Francois were not crying.
“You see, mother? All's Well agrees with me ”

“ What should she do? The murder of Stephane had for a moment turned her thoughts from Francois; but she now once more fell a prey to anguish. What had become of her son? Should she go to him at the Priory and defend him against the dangers that threatened him?” Come, come,” she said, “I'm losing my head.... Let me think things out.... A few hours ago, Francois was speaking to me through the wall of his prison... for it was certainly he then, it was certainly Francois who yesterday took my hand and covered it with his kisses.... A mother cannot be deceived ”

“ She counted the seconds while watching the entrance to the tunnel.
But three minutes, four minutes, five minutes passed: and the front-door did not open again.
All Veronique's confidence vanished. She thought that it was mad of her not to have gone with her son and that she ought never to have submitted to a child's will. Without troubling about the tunnel or the dangers from that side, she began to walk towards the Priory. But she had the horrible feeling which people sometimes experience in dreams ”

“ And she continued:
“Oh, how I hate you! Fifteen years of hatred! But the cross will avenge me.... I shall string you up on it myself.... The cross is ready... you'll see... the cross is ready for you!...” ”

“ The name puzzled Stephane and myself. A postern suggests an entrance, a gate. Well, we ended by learning that, in the middle ages, at the time of the monks, the little isle on which the Priory stands was surrounded by ramparts. It was therefore to be presumed that there was a postern here which commanded an outlet on the sea. And in fact, after hunting about with Maguennoc, we discovered, on the flat top of the cliff, a sort of gully, a sandy depression reinforced at intervals by regular walls made of big building-stones. ”

“ The cell was empty. But the door was open on the passages facing her; and Veronique had an impression— merely an impression, for the window admitted only a faint light — that some one was just leaving the cell through the open door. And from this confused impression of something that she had not absolutely seen she retained the certainty that it was a woman who was hiding there, in the passage, a woman surprised by her unexpected entrance.
“It's their accomplice,” thought Veronique.
“She came up with the boy who killed Stephane, and she has no doubt taken Francois away.... ”

“ Veronique received her answer when she heard a pebble grating under the door and interfering with its movement. If the pebble were not there, the door would be closed. Without hesitating, Veronique went up, took hold of a great iron handle and pulled it towards her. The hand disappeared, but the opposition continued. There was, evidently a handle on the other side as well.
Suddenly she heard a whistle. The woman was summoning assistance. And almost at the same time, in the passage, at some distance from the woman, there was a cry:
“Mother! ”