One evening, however, Perregaud came home, his face distorted by terror and trembling in every limb.

He had been warned while out that the suspicions of the authorities had been aroused in regard to him and La Constantin.

It seemed that some little time ago, the Vicars-General had sent a deputation to the president of the chief court of justice, having heard from their priests that in one year alone six hundred women had avowed in the confessional that they had taken drugs to prevent their having children.

This had been sufficient to arouse the vigilance of the police, who had set a watch on Perregaud's house, with the result that that very night a raid was to be made on it.
The two criminals took hasty counsel together, but, as usual under such circumstances, arrived at no practical conclusions.

It was only when the danger was upon them that they recovered their presence of mind.