Part 46 (1/2)
”Brandy--quick!” he cried
Heron looked up, roused from the semi-somnolence in which he had lain for the past half-hour He disentangled his long liuard-room chair
”Eh?” he queried ”What is it?”
”Brandy,” reiterated Chauvelin impatiently; ”the prisoner has fainted”
”Bah!” retorted the other with a callous shrug of the shoulders, ”you are not going to revive hiine”
”No But you will, citizen Heron,” rejoined the other dryly, ”for if you do not he'll be dead in an hour!”
”Devils in hell!” exclaimed Heron, ”you have not killed hih noide awake and shaking with fury Al volleys of the choicest oaths, he elbowed his way roughly through the groups of soldiers ere crowding round the centre table of the guard-roo cards They made way for him as hurriedly as they could, for it was not safe to thwart the citizen agent when he was in a rage
Heron walked across to the opening and lifted the iron bar With scant cereue aside and strode into the cell, whilst Chauvelin, see the other's ruffianly e, followed close upon his heel
In the centre of the roorowl to his friend
”You vowed he would be dead in an hour,” he said reproachfully
The other shrugged his shoulders
”It does not look like it now certainly,” he said dryly
Blakeney was sitting--as was his wont--close to the table, with one ar upon his knee A ghost of a smile hovered round his lips
”Not in an hour, citizen Heron,” he said, and his voice floas scarce above a whisper, ”nor yet in two”
”You are a fool, hly ”You have had seventeen days of this Are you not sick of it?”
”Heartily, my dear friend,” replied Blakeney a little more fir his shaggy head; ”you came here on the 2nd of Pluviose, today is the 19th”
”The 19th Pluviose?” interposed Sir Percy, and a strange gleam suddenly flashed in his eyes ”Demn it, sir, and in Christian parlance what may that day be?”
”The 7th of February at your service, Sir Percy,” replied Chauvelin quietly