Page:Memoirs of Vidocq, Volume 1.djvu/119

 In the same prison with us were confined the jailor of the Petit Hôtel of Lille, and the turnkey Baptiste, both accused of having aided my escape for a bribe. The day of their trial having arrived, the jailor was acquitted, but Baptiste's sentence was deferred, the tribunal having decreed a fresh process, in which I was to be heard. Poor Baptiste then came to me, begging me to tell the truth. At first I only gave him evasive answers; but Desfosseux having told me that the man might serve us, and that we must arrange terms with him, I promised to do what he wished: on which he made me vast professions of gratitude and offers of service. I took him at his word, and desired him to bring me a knife and two large nails, of which Desfosseux had told me that he had need, and in an hour I had them brought to me. On learning that I had procured them, Desfosseux made as many jumps as his fetters and his bounded space would allow: Doyenette equally gave himself up to the most excessive joy; and, as gaiety is in general catching, I felt myself too in a mirthful mood, without exactly knowing why.

When these transports had a little subsided, Desfosseux desired me to look at the roof of my dungeon and observe if there were not five stones whiter than the rest: and on my replying in the affirmative, he desired me to try the divisions with the point of my knife, which I did, and found that the cement had been replaced by crumb of bread, whitened with scraping: and Desfosseux told me that the prisoner, who had been there before me, had done this to remove the stones and save himself when he had been taken to another part of the prison. I thus transferred the knife to Desfosseux, who employed himself with activity in opening a passage to my dungeon, when we were served similarly to my predecessor. The jailor having got wind of something, changed our dungeons, and placed us all three in a dungeon next to the Scarpe, where we were chained together: so that the least