Part 37 (2/2)
They will not allow me to handle a razor my-self They are afraid I should cut my throat--or one of theirs But ”
”Percy!” she exclaimed with tender and passionate reproach
”I know--I know, dear,” hethe day that He threw o--ere drifting apart, you and I You would have suffered less, dear heart, if we had continued to drift”
Then as he saw that his bantering tone pained her, he covered her hands with kisses, entreating her forgiveness
”Dear heart,” he said merrily, ”I deserve that you should leave ot me yet, little woman, you know; I am not yet dead--only d--d sleepy at times But I'll cheat them even now, never fear”
”How, Percy--how?” shewith intolerable pain; she knew better than he did the precautions which were being taken against his escape, and she saw more clearly than he realised it hiainst that escape by ever encroaching physical weakness
”Well, dear,” he said siht of that all-important 'how' I had to wait, you see, until you came I was so sure that you would co on paper all ive theive the, and that was of keeping body and soul together My chance of seeing you was to let them have their ithyou to ed fox worn down to iht add your tears to their persuasion, and succeed where they have failed”
He laughed lightly with an unstrained note of gaiety, only Marguerite's sensitive ears caught the faint tone of bitterness which rang through the laugh
”Once I know that the little King of France is safe,” he said, ”I can think of how best to rob those d--d ed He still held her with one arm closely to, him, but the other now lay across the table, and the slender, ehtly clutched He did not look at her, but straight ahead; the eyes, unnaturally large noith their deep purple riri for his beloved, had vanished; there sat the man with a purpose, the man whose firm hand had snatched men and women and children froainst an ideal
For a while he sat thus, while in his drawn and haggard face she could trace every line forhts--the frown of anxiety, the resolute setting of the lips, the obstinate look of will around the firain to her
”My beautiful one,” he said softly, ”the moments are very precious God knows I could spend eternity thus with your dear forainst ive us half an hour, and I want your help, ht in their trap Will you listen attentively, dear heart, to what I a to say?
”Yes, Percy, I will listen,” she replied
”And have you the courage to do just what I tell you, dear?”
”I would not have courage to do aught else,” she said si froain Hush-sh-sh,his thin hand over her h escaped; ”your exquisite soul will be with ive way to despair Why! your love alone, which I see shi+ning fro to life with all his ht Tell me! will you do as I ask you?”
And she replied fireously:
”I will do just what you ask, Percy”
”God bless you for your courage, dear You will have need of it”
CHAPTER XXIX FOR THE SAKE OF THAT HELPLESS INNOCENT
The next instant he was kneeling on the floor and his hands andering over the sstones iuerite had risen to her feet; she watched her husband with intent and puzzled eyes; she saw hi a crevice between two flagstones, then raise one of these slightly and from beneath it extract a small bundle of papers, each carefully folded and sealed Then he replaced the stone and once lance toward the doorway That corner of his cell, the recess wherein stood the table, was invisible to any one who had not actually crossed the threshold Reassured that his moveuerite closer to him
”Dear heart,” he whispered, ”I want to place these papers in your care
Look upon the those brutes one day by pretending to be willing to accede to their will They gave me pen and ink and paper and wax, and I was to write out an order tothe Dauphin hither They left ave me time to write three letters--one for Armand and the other two for Ffoulkes, and to hide the of my cell You see, dear, I knew that you would coive them to you then”