His affianced bride on her knees, white as a ghost, trembling, and screaming, rather than crying, for mercy.

And Raynal standing over his wife, showing by the working of his iron features that he doubted whether she was worthy he should raise her.
One would have thought nothing could add to the terror of this scene.
Yet it was added to.

The baroness rang her bell violently in the room below.

She had heard Josephine's scream and fall.
At the ringing of this shrill bell Rose shuddered like a maniac, and grovelled on her knees to Raynal, and seized his very knees and implored him to show some pity.
"O sir! kill us! we are culpable"-- Dring! dring! dring! dring! dring! pealed the baroness's bell again.
"But do not tell our mother.

Oh, if you are a man! do not! do not! Show us some pity.