I know you have it in you."

Gabrielle bit her lip, but took out a comb, and began to arrange little
Louison's hair. "Now," she whispered, "I'll make you as smart as the
young lady we saw with Madame de Laccassagne;" and in this way she
amused herself and the child, talking nonsense with her, and inventing
imaginary scenes and people, all in a hushed voice, that my father might
not hear.

Suddenly, some one at the entrance of our dungeon wishing us "Bon jour,"
made us start violently and look towards him in alarm.

"You need not shrink from me," said La Croissette, advancing among us
when he had looked around. "I may not be as good as yourselves, or I
may be--that's neither here nor there. I'm not quite a bad fellow, I
believe, though at times I am driven to keep indifferent company. Still,
I am not very fond of those I'm among at present, so I thought I'd look
in on you. Your servant, sir," to my father. "A votre service, madame,"
very politely to my mother. "You were not here last night, when your son
and that young lady rather unexpectedly looked in on us. To speak the
truth, there are reasons why some of us don't relish being looked in
on unexpectedly."

"Quite natural," said my father; "no more do we."

"Ah, but you need not be afraid of me," said La Croissette, "I'm no
traitor, I! It might be rash, though, to say as much of some of my
companions, and therefore I advise you not to be too familiar with
them."