They rattled down with a terrific crash, the lights were extinguished, and the whole room was immediately plunged in utter darkness.
The crowd gave a wild yell of fear: they had only caught sight for one instant of that gigantic figure--which, with arms outstretched had seemed supernaturally tall--weirdly illumined by the flickering light of the tallow candles and the next moment disappearing into utter darkness before their very gaze.

Overcome with sudden superstitious fear, Pierrots and Pierrettes, drummer and trumpeters turned and fled in every direction.
Within the room all was wild confusion.

The soldiers had heard a cry: "La fenetre! La fenetre!" Who gave it no one knew, no one could afterwards recollect: certain it is that with one accord the majority of the men made a rush for the open window, driven thither partly by the wild instinct of the chase after an escaping enemy, and partly by the same superstitious terror which had caused the crowd to flee.

They clambered over the sill and dropped down on to the ramparts below, then started in wild pursuit.
But when the crash came, Chauvelin had given one frantic shout: "The letter!!!...

Collot!!...