It is not my fault.

If you knew----" She had almost fallen on her knees, and was weeping and entreating while she stretched her poor trembling hands towards some horrible vision which she saw in the darkness.

Then she suddenly rose upright, and her eyes opened still more widely as a terrible cry came from her convulsed throat, as though some awful sight, visible to her alone, had filled her with mad terror.
"Oh, the gendarme!" she said, choking and falling backwards on the bed, where she rolled about, breaking into long bursts of furious, insane laughter.
Pascal was studying the attack attentively.

The two brothers, who felt very frightened, and only detected snatches of what their mother said, had taken refuge in a corner of the room.

When Rougon heard the word gendarme, he thought he understood her.