And  besides,  the  police  is  so  badly  regulated.  The
idea  of  living  in  a  mountainous  country,  and  not
even  having  lights  in  the  streets  at  night!  And  I
say,  Monseigneur,  that  this  house  is  not  safe  at
all;  that  if  Monseigneur  will  permit,  I  will  go  and
tell  the  locksmith  to  come  and  replace  the  ancient
locks  on  the  doors,  for  there  is  nothing  more  ter-
rible than  a  door  with  a  latch  on  the  outside,
which  can  be  opened  by  the  first  passer-by.  We
need  bolts,  Monseigneur,  if  only  for  this  night;


moreover — "


At  that  moment  there  came  a  tolerably  violent
knock  on  the  door.
"Come  in,"  said  the  bishop.  The  door  opened
wide  with  a  rapid  movement,  as  if  some  one  had
given  it  an  energetic  and  resolute  push.
A  man  entered,  advanced  a  step,  and  halted,
leaving  the  door  open  behind  him.  He  was  a
man  in  the  prime  of  life,  of  medium  stature,  thick-


12


178  STUDIES  IN  BEADING

set  and  robust,  with  a  shaved  head  and  a  long
beard.  A  cap  with  a  drooping  leather  visor  partly
concealed  his  face,  which  was  burned  and  tanned
by  sun  and  wind.  He  wore  a  shirt  of  coarse  yel-
low linen,  a  cravat  twisted  into  a  string,  trousers
of  blue  drilling,  and  an  old  gray  tattered  blouse,
patched  on  one  of  the  elbows  with  a  bit  of  green
cloth  sewed  on  with  twine.  He  carried  on  his
back  a  tightly  packed  knapsack,  well  buckled  and
perfectly  new,  and  an  enormous  knotty  stick  in
his  hand.  Madame  Magloire  had  not  even  the
strength  to  utter  a  cry.  She  trembled,  and  stood
with  her  mouth  wide  open.
