The Count of Monte Cristo

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chimney with them, set a light to it. The fire crackled, and the smoke
ascended like the dull vapor from a volcano; but still no prisoner fell
down, as they expected. The fact was, that Andrea, at war with society
ever since his youth, was quite as deep as a gendarme, even though he
were advanced to the rank of brigadier, and quite prepared for the
fire, he had climbed out on the roof and was crouching down against
the chimney-pots. At one time he thought he was saved, for he heard
the brigadier exclaim in a loud voice, to the two gendarmes, "He is not
here!" But venturing to peep, he perceived that the latter, instead of
retiring, as might have been reasonably expected upon this announcement,
were watching with increased attention.

It was now his turn to look about him; the Hotel de Ville, a massive
sixteenth century building, was on his right; any one could descend from
the openings in the tower, and examine every corner of the roof below,
and Andrea expected momentarily to see the head of a gendarme appear at
one of these openings. If once discovered, he knew he would be lost, for