Her first excitement had calmed a little during the silent observation
which had occupied several minutes; her voice had regained its natural
tone, and only trembled a little as she asked:
"But now, for Heaven's sake, tell me how all this has happened? Our
concierge saw you when you fell in the street and were carried away."
"He saw correctly."
"Then you were not killed?"
"Merely wounded."
"Well, and----?"
"You know how I left you. I was excited, bareheaded, mad. When I came
out of the Passage Saumon into the Rue Montmartre, I found the street
deserted, but I heard the roll of drums in the distance, soldiers
seemed to be pressing forward from the boulevard. Several persons ran
past, trying to escape into the side streets. Before I could clearly
understand what was going on around me, a volley of musketry was fired,
I felt a violent blow and fell. A few paces from me another man fell,
who did not move again. A window in the Passage Saumon opened and
instantly closed.
"The soldiers came up, carrying lanterns and torches. They found the
other man first, and threw the light into his face.
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