The distant howling of a dog now came to their ears, to add to the lugubrious effect of their surroundings, but they were all so troubled at the strange absence of their comrade that their own individual miseries were for the moment forgotten.

The doleful howling, so far away at first, gradually became louder, until at last a large, black dog came in sight, and sitting down upon the snow, still a long distance from them, raised his head so that his muzzle pointed upward to the sky and howled, as if in the greatest distress.
"I'm afraid something terrible has happened to our poor Matamore," cried the tyrant, and his voice trembled a little; "that dog howls as if for a death." At this speech the two young women turned even paler than they had been before, if that were possible, and made the sign of the cross devoutly, while Isabelle murmured a prayer.
"We must go in search of him without a moment's delay," said Blazius, "and take the lantern with us; it will as a guiding star to him if he has wandered off from the road, as is very probable, with everything covered with snow like this." They accordingly lighted their horn lantern, and set off with all possible speed--the tyrant, Blazius, and de Sigognac--whilst Scapin and Leander remained with the three women in the chariot.

The dog, meantime, kept up his dismal howling without a moment's intermission as the three men hastened towards him.

The darkness and the newfallen snow, which had completely obliterated all traces of footsteps, made the task of looking for the missing actor a very difficult one, and after walking nearly a mile without seeing a sign of him, they began to fear that their search would prove fruitless.

They kept calling, "Matamore! Matamore!" but there was no reply, nothing to be heard but the howling of the large black dog, at intervals now, or the scream of an owl, disturbed by the light of the lantern.