Peyrade scorched his hand as he dashed it into the fire to seize the box; but he got it, threw it on the floor and sat down upon it.

These little actions were done with great rapidity and without a word being uttered.

Corentin, recovering from the pain of the blow, caught Mademoiselle de Cinq-Cygne by both hands, and held her.
"Do not compel me to use force against you," he said, with withering politeness.
Peyrade's action had extinguished the fire by the natural process of suppressing the air.
"Gendarmes! here!" he cried, still occupying his ridiculous position.
"Will you promise to behave yourself ?" said Corentin, insolently, addressing Laurence, and picking up his dagger, but not committing the great fault of threatening her with it.
"The secrets of that box do not concern the government," she answered, with a tinge of melancholy in her tone and manner.

"When you have read the letters it contains you will, in spite of your infamy, feel ashamed of having read them--that is, if you can still feel shame at anything," she added, after a pause.
The abbe looked at her as if to say, "For God's sake, be calm!" Peyrade rose.

The bottom of the box, which had been nearly burned through, left a mark upon the floor; the lid was scorched and the sides gave way.