"How gone?
Pardieu, it is not possible!" "Look for yourself," was La Boulaye's answer as he waved his hand in the direction of the window.

"I don't know what manner of watch your men can have kept that such a thing should have come about.

Probably, knowing you ill a-bed, they abused the occasion by getting drunk, and probably they are still sleeping it off.

The place is silent enough." But Tardivet scarcely heard him.

From his window he was staring into the yard below, too thunderstruck by its emptiness to even have recourse to profanity.