She handed the paper to Hedwig to be given to her husband as an explanation at a later hour.
Cesarine was still watching him when she saw him disappear suddenly.

It was in crossing an unnailed plank thrown across a drain-cutting.

This must have turned or broken under his feet unexpectedly, for his fall was complete.

In the ditch which received him, darkness ruled but it seemed to Cesarine that more shadows than one were engaged in deadly strife, standing deep in the mire.

They wore the aspect of the demons dragging down a soul in an infernal bog.
What increased the horror was the silence in which the tragedy was enacted; probably the unfortunate Gratian had been seized by the throat as soon as he dropped confused into the assassin's clutches.
Halfway between this scene and the dismayed looker on, another shadow rose and appeared to take the direction to accost her instead of hurrying to the victim's succor.