Shouts of "thief" from the Quartier Publique initiate a foot chase and a running exchange of gunfire which ends in the Quartier Ouvrier. A hooded figure pursued by a pair of Gendarmes vanishes into the tangle of ramshackle buildings and the warrens beneath. Not long after, a diminutive voice is heard shouting accusations, calling the Gendarmes murderers, killers, and worse. The city's defenders break off their investigation, returning to the safety of the Quartier Savant, a small body in arms.