thrown it down there."

She walked away, indignant. Four francs!

As soon as she entered the house she called Rose and told her of the
quarryman's charges. Rose, always resigned, repeated:

"Four francs! That is a good deal of money, madame." Then she added: "If
we could throw him something to eat, the poor dog, so he will not die of
hunger."

Mme. Lefevre approved of this and was quite delighted. So they set out
again with a big piece of bread and butter.

They cut it in mouthfuls, which they threw down one after the other,
speaking by turns to Pierrot. As soon as the dog finished one piece he
yelped for the next.

They returned that evening and the next day and every day. But they made
only one trip.

One morning as they were just letting fall the first mouthful they
suddenly heard a tremendous barking in the pit. There were two dogs
there. Another had been thrown in, a large dog.

"Pierrot!" cried Rose. And Pierrot yelped and yelped. Then they began to
throw down some food. But each time they noticed distinctly a terrible
struggle going on, then plaintive cries from Pierrot, who had been bitten
by his companion, who ate up everything as he was the stronger.