Part 48 (1/2)
”I arace of this cursed Scarlet Piue is as vital to me, and more, as the capture of Capet is to you That is why I showed you the way how to bring that meddlesome adventurer to his knees; that is why I will help you now both to find Capet and with his aid and to wreak what reprisals you like on hiain cast one more look on the prisoner The latter had not stirred; his face was hidden, but the hands, emaciated, nerveless and waxen, like those of the dead, told a more eloquent tale, ent of the Committee of General Security walked deliberately round the table until he stood once ed with passionate ardour to wrest an all-iriainst the table; with callous eyes he gazed attentively on the face that was then revealed to him, he looked on the waxen flesh, the hollow eyes, the bloodless lips; then he shrugged his wide shoulders, and with a laugh that surely must have caused joy in hell, he allowed the wearied head to fall back against the outstretched arue
”I think you are right, citizen Chauvelin,” he said; ”there is not much supernatural power here Let me hear your advice”
CHAPTER xxxVII CHAUVELIN'S ADVICE
Citizen Chauvelin had drawn his colleague with him to the end of the cell that was farthest away fro
Here the noise and hubbub that went on constantly in the guard room would effectually drohispered conversation Chauvelin called to the sergeant to hand hiainst the wall opposite the opening, and beckoning Heron to sit down, he did likewise, placing hiue
Frouard-room opposite them and into the recess at the furtheran Chauvelin after a while, and sinking his voice to a whisper, ”let hly, citizen Heron Do you want the death of the Englishman, either to-day or to-uillotine? For that now is easy of accoet hold of little Capet?”
”It is Capet I want,” growled Heron savagely under his breath ”Capet!
Capet! My own neck is dependent onCapet Curse you, have I not told you that clearly enough?”
”You have told it me very clearly, citizen Heron; but I wished to make assurance doubly sure, and also lishman to betray little Capet into your hands I want that more even than I do his death”
”Then in the naive me your advice”
”My advice to you, citizen Heron, is this: Give your prisoner now just a sufficiency of food to revive him--he will have had a few moments'
sleep--and when he has eaten, and, lass of wine, he will, no doubt, feel a recrudescence of strength, then give him pen and ink and paper He must, as he says, write to one of his followers, who, in his turn, I suppose, will co them to be prepared to deliver up little Capet to us; the letter entle of France to us in exchange for his own safety But I think you will agree with me, citizen Heron, that it would not be over-prudent on our part to allow that saallant crowd to be forewarned too soon of the pro-posed doings of their chief Therefore, I think, we'll explain to the prisoner that his follohom he will first apprise of his intentions, shall start with us to-e, when, if it is found necessary, he ly escorted of course, and with personal allant Scarlet Piue”
”What will be the good of that?” broke in Heron viciously ”Do you want one of his accursed followers to be ready to give hih our fingers?
”Patience, patience, ood Heron!” rejoined Chauvelin with a placid smile ”Hear me out to the end Time is precious You shall offer what criticism you hen I have finished, but not before”
”Go on, then I listen”
”I a that one ue shall accompany us to-morrow,” continued Chauvelin, ”but I would also force the prisoner's wife--Marguerite Blakeney--to follow in our train”
”A woman? Bah! What for?”
”I will tell you the reason of this presently In her case I should not let the prisoner know beforehand that she too will for surprise for him She could join us on our way out of Paris”
”Hoill you get hold of her?”
”Easily enough I knohere to find her I traced her o to a house in the Rue de Charonne, and she is not likely to have gone away froerie But this is a digression, let me proceedwritten to-night by the prisoner to one of his followers, I will ht hands
You, citizen Heron, will in the ht to start at dawn, and we ought to be prepared, especially during the first fifty leagues of the way, against organised attack in case the Englishht even do that, curse hiht, but it is unlikely Still it is best to be prepared Take a strong escort, citizen, say twenty or thirty men, picked and trained soldiers ould ht be There are twenty ue, and I do not quite see how froainst us at a given time Anyhow, that is a matter for you to decide I have still to place before you a scheainst aainst trickery, and which I feel sure you will pronounce quite adequate”