Free eBooks at Planet eBook.com 723
dier, and he redoubled his pace.
The thickness of the undergrowth forced him to draw
nearer to them. When the man had reached the densest part
of the thicket, he wheeled round. It was in vain that The-
nardier sought to conceal himself in the branches; he could
not prevent the man seeing him. The man cast upon him
an uneasy glance, then elevated his head and continued his
course. The inn-keeper set out again in pursuit. Thus they
continued for two or three hundred paces. All at once the
man turned round once more; he saw the inn-keeper. This
time he gazed at him with so sombre an air that Thenardier
decided that it was ‘useless’ to proceed further. Thenardier
retraced his steps.