Part 38 (2/2)

Her hands still clutched that paper, which seeers, the paper which she felt held writ upon its smooth surface the death-sentence of the man she loved

But his look did not answer her firm appeal; it was fixed far away beyond the prison walls, on a lonely country road outside Paris, with the rain falling in a thin drizzle, and leaden clouds overhead chasing one another, driven by the gale

”Poor mite,” he murmured softly; ”he walked so bravely by reeary; then he nestled inwith the cart He was no King of France just then, only a helpless innocent whouerite bowed her head in silence There was nothing e Indeed, she had understood, as he had begged her to understand She understood that long ago he had mapped out the course of his life, and now that that course happened to lead up a Calvary of hu he was not likely to turn back, even though, on the su with no uncertain hand; not until he could reat and divine sacrifice itself, the sublime words:

”It is accoh noas all that she said, after that one moment's silence when her heart, too, had offered up to God the supreation of self, and calmly faced a sorrohich threatened to break it at last

”Yes!” he rejoined quietly, ”safe enough for the moment But he would be safer still if he were out of France I had hoped to take hiland But in this plan daet him to Vienna, and their wish had best be fulfilled now In my instructions to Ffoulkes I havethe journey Tony will be the one best suited to lead the expedition, and I want hiht for Holland; the Northern frontiers are not so closely watched as are the Austrian ones

There is a faithful adherent of the Bourbon cause who lives at Delft, and ill give the shelter of his na of France until he can be conveyed to Vienna He is named Nauudorff

Once I feel that the child is safe in his hands I will look after th, which was only factitious, born of the exciteuerite's presence had called forth, was threatening to give way His voice, though he had spoken in a whisper all along, was very hoarse, and his te with the sustained effort to speak

”If those friends had only thought of denying me food instead of sleep,”

he murmured involuntarily, ”I could have held out until--”

Then with characteristic swiftness his uerite once ive host of a smile once more lit up the whole of his face ”Dear soul, Iover raver burden--God help me!--than it can possibly bear Listen, er they intend to give us, and I have not yet spoken to you about Are of reated all thoughts of her brother to a distant cell of her memory

”We have no news of Aristers Oh! were not ht it would feel a final throb of agonising pain at every thought of Ar eyes failed to interpret, passed like a shadow over her husband's face But the shadow lifted in asmile that he said to her:

”Dear heart! Armand is comparatively safe for the isters for hie She will knohere to find Are!” she exclaimed with a world of bitterness in the tone of her voice, ”the girl whoreater than his loyalty Oh! Sir Andrew tried to disguise uessed what he did not choose to tell ht this unspeakable misery on us all”

”Do not blame him overmuch, dear heart Armand was in love, and love excuses every sin coe was arrested and Armand lost his reason temporarily The very day on which I rescued the Dauphin fro the little lady out of prison I had given my promise to Armand that she should be safe, and I kept my word But this Armand did not know--or else--”

He checked hie to a place of coht pause, ”but since then she has been set entirely free”

”Free?”

”Yes Chauvelin hiht h, wholly unlike his usual light-hearted gaiety ”He had to ask me where to find Jeanne, for I alone knehere she was As for Armand, they'll not worry about him whilst I aer But in the e; she lives at No 5 Square du Roule Through her I know that you can get to see Ar a smaller packet into her hand, ”is for him Give it to him, dear heart; it will, I hope, tend to cheer him I fear me the poor lad frets; yet he only sinned because he loved, and to me he will always be your brother--the man who held your affection for all the years before I came into your life Give him this letter, dear; they are my instructions to him, as the others are for Ffoulkes; but tell him to read them when he is all alone You will do that, dear heart, will you not?”

”Yes, Percy,” she said simply ”I promise”

Great joy, and the expression of intense relief, lit up his face, whilst his eyes spoke the gratitude which he felt

”Then there is one thing more,” he said ”There are others in this cruel city, dear heart, who have trusted me, and whom I must not fail--Marie de Marmontel and her brother, faithful servants of the late queen; they were on the eve of arrest when I succeeded in getting them to a place of comparative safety; and there are others there, too all of these poor victi for land Sweetheart, you must redeem my promise to them You will?--you will? Promise me that you will--”

”I proo, dear, to-morrow, in the late afternoon, to No 98, Rue de Charonne It is a narrow house at the extre street which abuts on the fortifications The lower part of the house is occupied by a dealer in rags and old clothes He and his wife and faood souls, and for a consideration and a minimum of risk to thelish lers Ffoulkes and all the others know these people and know the house; Armand by the same token knows it too Marie de Marmontel and her brother are there, and several others; the old Comte de Lezardiere, the Abbe de Fir, loyalty, and hopelessness I was lucky enough to convey them safely to that hidden shelter They trustforin o, will you not?”