Part 50 (2/2)

Chauvelin pressed his lips together Truly now he felt that a retort fronified, uard roo, the occasional clang of steel, or of a heavy boot against the tiled floor, the rattling of dice, or a sudden burst of laughter--sounds, in fact, that betokened the presence of a number of soldiers close by

Chauvelin contented hiuard-room

”The conditions are soned in Boulogne But will you not sign your letter, Sir Percy?”

”With pleasure, sir,” responded Blakeney, as with an elaborate flourish of the pen he appended his na him with eyes that would have shamed a lynx by their keenness He took up the coh very carefully, as if to find so behind the very words which he hinature, and looked vainly for a ht convey a different sense to that which he had intended Finally, finding none, he folded the letter up with his own hand, and at once slipped it in the pocket of his coat

”Take care, M Chahtly; ”it will burn a hole in that elegant vest of yours”

”It will have no time to do that, Sir Percy,” retorted Chauvelin blandly; ”an you will furnish me with citizen St Just's present address, I will myself convey the letter to hiht? Poor old Armand, he'll be abed But his address, sir, is No 32, Rue de la Croix Blanche, on the first floor, the door on your right as you mount the stairs; you know the room well, citizen Chauvelin; you have been in it before And now,” he added with a loud and ostentatious yawn, ”shall we all to bed? We start at dawn, you said, and I aued”

Frankly, he did not look it now Chauvelin himself, despite his matured plans, despite all the precautions that he antic sche into his bones Half an hour ago he had seen a e of utter physical exhaustion, a hunched up figure, listless and li man Now those outward syht of the lamp still looked livid, the lips bloodless, the hands emaciated and waxen, but the eyes!--they were still holloith heavy lids still purple, but in their depths there was a curious,that was hidden to natural sight

Citizen Chauvelin thought that Heron, too, ent was sprawling on a chair, sucking a short-ste with entire animal satisfaction on the prisoner

”The most perfect piece of e have ever accomplished, you and I, citizen Chauvelin,” he said co is quite satisfactory?” asked the other with anxious stress on his words

”Everything, of course Now you see to the letter I will give final orders for to-uard-roo bed,” interposed the prisoner lightly, as he rose to his feet ”Your servant, citizens!”

He bowed his head slightly, and stood by the table whilst the twolook at the ht down to abject disgrace

Blakeney was standing erect, watching the two retreating figures--one slender hand was on the table Chauvelin saw that it was leaning rather heavily, as if for support, and that even whilst a final ue on their way, the tall figure of the conquered lion swayed like a stalwart oak that is forced to bend to the h of content Chauvelin took his colleague by the arether the two men walked out of the cell

CHAPTER xxxIX KILL HIM!

Two hours after ht Armand St Just akened from sleep by a peremptory pull at his bell In these days in Paris but onecould as a rule be attached to such a suh possessed of an unconditional certificate of safety, sat up in bed, quite convinced that for some reason which would presently be explained to him he had once more been placed on the list of the ”suspect,” and that his trial and condee would follow in due course

Truth to tell, he felt no fear at the prospect, and only a very little sorrow The sorroas not for hiretted neither life nor happiness Life had become hateful to his of dishonour; sorrow such as he felt was only for Jeanne! She was very young, and would weep bitter tears She would be unhappy, because she truly loved him, and because this would be the first cup of bitterness which life was holding out to her But she was very young, and sorroould not be eternal It was better so He, Arh he loved her with an intensity of passion that had beenshale moment of unalloyed happiness

From the very first day when he sat beside her in the tiny boudoir of the Square du Roule, and the heavy foot fall of Heron and his bloodhounds broke in on their first kiss, down to this hour which he believed struck his own death-knell, his love for her had brought more tears to her dear eyes than smiles to her exquisite mouth

Her he had loved so dearly, that for her sweet sake he had sacrificed honour, friendshi+p and truth; to free her, as he believed, from the hands of ieance to the very throne of God For her he had sinned, and because of that sin, even before it was cohted, and happiness had never been theirs

Noas all over He would pass out of her life, up the steps of the scaffold, tasting as he mounted them the most entire happiness that he had known since that awful day when he became a Judas

The peremptory summons, once more repeated, roused hi to slip any of his clothes on, he crossed the narrow ante-cha

”In the name of the people!”