There was, in fact, a second bell wailing through the clear night.
And very soon there were ten bells, twenty bells, whose despairing tollings were detected by their ears, which had by this time grown accustomed to the quivering of the darkness.

Ominous calls rose from all sides, like the faint rattles of dying men.

Soon the whole plain seemed to be wailing.

The gentlemen no longer jeered at Roudier; particularly as the marquis, who took a malicious delight in terrifying them, was kind enough to explain the cause of all this bell-ringing.
"It is the neighbouring villages," he said to Rougon, "banding together to attack Plassans at daybreak." At this Granoux opened his eyes wide.

"Didn't you see something just this moment over there ?" he asked all of a sudden.
Nobody had looked; the gentlemen had been keeping their eyes closed in order to hear the better.
"Ah! look!" he resumed after a short pause.