troops. It was right. What else could he do? The general already
had enough to fight against, with the whole revolution, with his
conscience, with the natural pity in his heart of a brave man, and
with the tears and insupportable moanings, at such a moment, of his
daughter and his wife. Boris understood and obeyed him, but, after
the death of the poor students, he behaved again like a woman in
composing those verses on the heroes of the barricades; don't you
think so? Verses that Natacha and he learned by heart, working
together, when they were surprised at it by the general. There
was a terrible scene. It was before the next-to-the-last attack.
The general then had the use of both legs. He stamped his feet and
fairly shook the house."

"Madame," said Rouletabille, "a propos of the attacks, you must
tell me about the third."

As he said this, leaning toward her, Matrena Petrovna ejaculated a
"Listen!" that made him rigid in the night with ear alert. What
had she heard? For him, he had heard nothing.

"You hear nothing?" she whispered to him with an effort. "A
tick-tack?"

"No, I hear nothing."

"You know - like the tick-tack of a clock. Listen."

"How can you hear the tick-tack? I've noticed that no clocks are
running here."