Part 52 (1/2)

”He'll be a dead man at dawn if I do not put in an appearance by six o'clock”

The red film lifted, the candle flickered low, the devils vanished, only the pale face of the Terrorist gazed with gentle irony out of the glooer, citizen, St Just,” he said quietly; ”you can get three or four hours' rest yet before you need s to see to I wish you good-night, citizen”

”Good-night,” murmured Armand mechanically

He took the candle and escorted his visitor back to the door He waited on the landing, taper in hand, while Chauvelin descended the narroinding stairs

There was a light in the concierge's lodge No doubt the woman had struck it when the nocturnal visitor had first demanded admittance His name and tricolour scarf of office had ensured him the fullup waiting to let hione, now turned back to his own rooms

CHAPTER XL God HELP US ALL

He carefully locked the outer door Then he lit the laht, and he had some important work to do

Firstly, he picked up the charred fragment of the letter, and smoothed it out carefully and reverently as he would a relic Tears had gathered in his eyes, but he was not ashamed of them, for no one saw thethen his resolve It was a ment that had been spared by the flame, but Armand knew every word of the letter by heart

He had pen, ink and paper ready to his hand, and fro letter frouerite:

This--which I had froh the hands of Chauvelin--I neither question nor understand He wrote the letter, and I have no thought but to obey In his previous letter to ain, to obey him implicitly, and to communicate with you

To both these coive you warning, little mother--Chauvelin desires you also to accompany us to-morrow Percy does not know this yet, else he would never start But those fiends fear that his readiness is a blind and that he has some plan in his head for his own escape and the continued safety of the Dauphin This plan they hope to frustrate through holding you and ladly I would give my life for my chief but your life, dear little ht in warning you God help us all

Having written the letter, he sealed it, together with the copy of Percy's letter which he had made Then he took up the candle and went downstairs

There was no longer any light in the concierge's lodge, and Ar himself heard At last the woman came to the door She was tired and cross after two interruptions of her night's rest, but she had a partiality for her young lodger, whose pleasant ways and easy liberality had been like a pale ray of sunshi+ne through the squalor of every-day misery

”It is a letter, citoyenne,” said Armand, with earnest entreaty, ”for my sister She lives in the Rue de Charonne, near the fortifications, and must have it within an hour; it is a matter of life and death to her, to me, and to another who is very dear to us both”

The concierge threw up her hands in horror

”Rue de Charonne, near the fortifications,” she exclaiin, citizen, that is impossible Who will take it? There is no way”

”A way must be found, citoyenne,” said Arolden louis waiting for thewoht Five louis meant food for at least two months if one was careful, and--

”Give me the letter, citizen,” she said, ”tio o at this hour”

”You will bring me back a line from my sister in reply to this,” said Armand, who it up to e”

He waited while the wo to her boy; the sao had taken the treacherous letter which had lured Blakeney to the house into the fatal a reht, every hour that he had since spent in the house had been racking torture to hiht help to ease the load of reave her final directions as to how to find the house; then she took the letter and pro back a reply froht was dark, a thin drizzle was falling; he stood and watched until the wolooh he once more ithin