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At each fresh charge, Coconnas kept shaking his head very determinately.

The judge continued

"In consequence of which, the aforesaid Mare Hannibal de Coconnas will be taken from prison to the place St. Jeanen-Grêve, to be there decapitated, his property confiscated, his woods cut down, his chateaus destroyed; and a post, with a copperplate bearing an inscription recording his crime and punishment, planted there."

"As for my head," said Coconnas, "that I know is in jeopardy; but as for my woods and chateaus, I do not fear for them in the least, and I defy all your hatchets and pickaxes to harm them."

"Silence!" said the judge, and he continued"And, moreover, the aforesaid Coconnas

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"What!" interrupted Coconnas, "will they do anything more after cutting my head off?—that is very cruel!" "No, monsieur," replied the judge-" before."

He continued—

"And the aforesaid Coconnas will undergo before the execution of this sentence, the extraordinary question, consisting of ten wedges."

Coconnas sprang to his feet, and fixing his eyes with a withering expression on his judges—

"For what?" cried he.

This torture was, in reality, ruin to Coconnas' hopes. He would not be taken to the chapel until after the torture, and the torture often occasioned death; for it was held to be a proof of cowardice to confess, and the torture was therefore the more severe, in proportion to the patient's obstinacy. The judge made no reply, but continued—

"In order to compel the aforesaid Coconnas to avow who were his accomplices."

"Mordi!" cried Coconnas, "this is infamous-this is cowardice!"

The judge, accustomed to the indignant protestations of the victims, made a sign.

Coconnas, seized by the legs and arms, was overpowered and bound to the rack, before he could even see who were the authors of this violence.

"Wretches!" shouted Coconnas, straining the cords that

bound him ge violently, that his tormentors retreated in alarm.

"Cowards! do your worst; I defy you to extract one word from me. It is not the torture that can make one of my race speak."

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Greffier, prepare to write," said the judge.

"Yes, prepare to write," cried Coconnas; "and if you write all I tell you, you scoundrel, you will have something to do."

"Will you confess?" asked the judge.

"Never!"

"You had better reflect whilst it is yet time. Executioner, make ready."

At these words, a man holding a cord in his hand advanced towards him.

It was maître Caboche.

Caboche, without moving a muscle of his face, or affecting to recognise Coconnas, placed two planks between his legs, then two more outside, and bound them together with a cord. This formed what was called the Boot.

In the ordinary question, six wedges were used, which crushed the flesh; in the extraordinary question, ten were employed, which not only crushed the flesh, but broke the bones also.

Maître Caboche introduced the wedge between the planks, and then, with his mallet in his hand, looked at the judge. 66 Will you confess?" asked the latter.

"Never!" returned Coconnas, although he felt a cold damp all over his brow.

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Proceed," said the judge.

Caboche raised his heavy mallet, and struck a tremendous blow on the wedge.

Coconnas did not utter the slightest sound at this first wedge, which usually extorted a groan from the most resolute.

On the contrary, his countenance expressed the greatest wonder, and he gazed in astonishment at Caboche, who, his arm raised, stood ready to repeat the blow.

"What was your intention in concealing yourself in the forest?" demanded the judge.

"To enjoy the fresh air."

"Proceed," said the judge.

Caboche struck again.

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Coconnas did not stir, but kept his eyes cutioner with the same expression of surprise. The judge frowned.

"He is indeed determined!" muttered he; "has the wedge entered, maître?"

Caboche stooped, as if to examine it, and whispered Co

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"Cry out! cry out!" Then rising

"Up to the head, sir," said he to the judge. "Second wedge!" was the reply.

The words of Caboche explained all to Coconnas; the worthy executioner was rendering him the greatest service in his power: he was sparing him not only pain, but, moreover, the shame of a confession, by driving, in place of oak wedges, wedges of leather with the top only of wood; and further, he thus left him all his strength to mount the scaffold manfully.

"Oh, excellent Caboche!" muttered Coconnas, "fear nothing; I will cry out loud enough."

Caboche had introduced a second wedge, larger than the first, and, at a sign from the judge, struck as if he were going to demolish the donjon of Vincennes at a blow.

"Ah! ah!-hou! hou!" roared Coconnas," you are breaking my bones!"

"Ah," said the judge, "the second seems to take effect. What were you doing in the forest?"

"I have already told you."

"Proceed."

"Confess," whispered Caboche. "What?"

"Anything-only confess."

And he dealt another blow on the wedge.

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Oh, oh!" cried Coconnas, " you wish to know by whose order I was in the forest?"

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"If I laid a snare for the king of Navarre," continued Coconnas, "I only obeyed my master's orders."

“Ah, you denounced me, tallow-face!" thought Coconnas: "I will be even with you.”

And he related all the visits of François to the king of Navarre, the interviews between de Mouy and d'Alencon, and the history of the red mantle. He gave precise, terrible, incontestable evidence against d'Alencon, making it seem all the while as though his statements were only extorted from him by the pain, he yelled, screamed, and foamed so naturally; and the judge at last became terrified himself at having to record details that so fearfully compromised a prince of the blood.

"Ah," said Caboche, "this gentleman gives the greffier enough to do. What would he have said, if the wedges had been of wood?"

The judge retired, excusing Coconnas the other wedges in consequence of his confession, and Caboche was left alone with Coconnas.

"Well," said he, "how do you find yourself, sir?”

"Ah, excellent Caboche, I will never forget what yon have done for me!"

"You are right; for if they knew what I have done for you, I should soon take your place, and they would not amuse me with leathern wedges."

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"I will tell you," said Caboche, twisting, for the sake of appearances, bandages of bloody linen about Coconnas' legs; "I knew you were arrested, that queen Catherine wished to kill you, and I guessed you would be put to the question, and I took my measures accordingly."

"At the risk of what might happen to yourself?"

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Sir," replied Caboche, " you are the only gentleman who has ever given me his hand, and I wished to prove to you that, executioner as I am, I have a heart: you shall see how I will perform my office to-morrow."

"To-morrow?"

"Yes."

"What office?"

Caboche stared.

"Have you forgotten the sentence?"

"Ah, true, I had forgotten all about that.”

He had not forgotten it, but he was thinking of the chapel, the ne concealed beneath the napkin, of Henriette and the

queen, of the door of the sacristy, the two horses that awaited them; of liberty, of the fresh air, and happiness and security beyond the bounds of France.

"Now," said Caboche, "I must get you from the rack to the litter. Do not forget both your legs are broken, and that the least movement pains you."

"Ah! oh!" cried Coconnas, as the two assistants advanced. "Take courage," said Caboche; "if you cry so now, what will you do presently?"

"Maître Caboche," replied Coconnas, "I pray you lift me yourself, as I do not wish your two estimable acolytes to touch me."

"Place the litter near the rack," said Caboche.

The two assistants obeyed.

Caboche then raised Coconnas in his arms as if he had been an infant, and placed him on the litter.

The jailer then appeared with a lantern.

"To the chapel," said he.

The bearers and Coconnas started, after Coconnas had again given his hand to Caboche.

The former grasp had been too useful to him not to induce him to repeat it.

CHAPTER LIX.

THE CHAPEL.

THE mournful cortège crossed, in perfect silence, the two drawbridges of the fortress and the court-yard which leads to the chapel, through the windows of which a pale light coloured the figures of the men in red robes.

Coconnas eagerly breathed the night air, although it was heavy with rain. He looked at the darkness, and rejoiced to see that everything conspired to favour the flight of himself and his companion. On entering the chapel he saw in the choir, and at three paces from the altar, a mass of something wrapped in a large white mantle. It was la Mole.

"Since we are once more re-unitcd," said Coconnas, in a voice of affected languor, carry me to my friend."

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