Part 47 (2/2)

Chauvelin was like a wily and sleek panther that is furtive in its movements, that will lure its prey, watch it, folloith stealthy footsteps, and only pounce on it when it is least wary, whilst Heron wasbull that tosses its head in a blind, irresponsible fashi+on, rushes at an obstacle without gauging its resisting powers, and allows its victih the very clumsiness and brutality of its assault

Still Chauvelin had two heavy black ne Heron, rendered cautious both by the deadly danger in which he stood and the sense of his own incompetence to deal with the present situation, tried to resist the other's authority as well as his persuasion

”Your advice was not of great use to citizen Collot last auturound by way of expressing both his independence and his contempt

”Still, citizen Heron,” retorted Chauvelin with unruffled patience, ”it is the best advice that you are likely to get in the present eency

You have eyes to see, have you not? Look on your prisoner at thisis done, and at once, too, he will be past negotiating with in the next twenty-four hours; then ill follow?”

He put his thin hand once rubby coat-sleeve, he drew hiure, that captive lion, wrapped in a torpid so sleep

”What will follow, citizen Heron?” he reiterated, sinking his voice to a whisper; ”sooner or later some meddlesome busybody who sits in the asseet wind that little Capet is no longer in the Temple prison, that a pauper child was substituted for hiether with the co the nation and its representatives for over a fortnight What will follow then, think you?”

And he ers across his throat

Heron found no other answer but blasphelishman speak yet,” he said with a fierce oath

”You cannot,” retorted Chauvelin decisively ”In his present state he is incapable of it, even if he would, which also is doubtful”

”Ah! then you do think that he still means to cheat us?”

”Yes, I do But I also know that he is no longer in a physical state to do it No doubt he thinks that he is A th; but look at hi to fear from him now”

Heron noas like a voracious creature that has two victiluttonous jaws He was loath to let either of the led out of this narrow cell, where he had kept a watchful eye over hiht, satisfied that with every day, every hour, the chances of escape became more improbable and more rare; at the same time there was the possibility of the recapture of little Capet, a possibility which htful vista of it, and which ht never come about if the prisoner remained silent to the end

”I wish I were quite sure,” he said sullenly, ”that you were body and soul in accord with me”

”I am in accord with you, citizen Heron,” rejoined the other earnestly--”body and soul in accord with you Do you not believe that I hate this man--aye! hate hi than yours? I want his death--Heaven or hell alone kno I long for that--but what I long for race For that I have worked, citizen Heron--for that I advised and helped you

When first you captured this uillotine amidst the joy of the populace of Paris, and croith a splendid halo of martyrdom That man, citizen Heron, would have baffled you, mocked you, and fooled you even on the steps of the scaffold In the zenith of his strength and of insurood luck you and all your uard of Paris would have had no power over him The day that you led hiuillotine would have been that of your hopeless disco once walked out of this cell hale, hearty and alert, be the escort round hiain Of that I am as convinced as that I aers through which he has slipped Ask citizen Collot d'Herbois, ask Sergeant Bibot at the barrier of Meniluards

They all have a tale to tell Did I believe in God or the devil, I should also believe that this man has supernatural powers and a host of de him walk out of this cell to-morrow?”

”He is a different ime that has counteracted the supernatural power by simple physical exhaustion, and driven to the four winds the host of demons who no doubt fled in the face of starvation”

”If only I thought that the recapture of Capet was as vital to you as it is to me,” said Heron, still unconvinced

”The capture of Capet is just as vital to me as it is to you,” rejoined Chauvelin earnestly, ”if it is brought about through the instru intently on his colleague, whose shi+fty eyes encountered his own Thus eye to eye the two men at last understood one another

”Ah!” said Heron with a snort, ”I think I understand”