Part 61 (2/2)
”You have not convinced me of it, and the barriers are closed to all who cannot prove theto pass You ait, ”
”But, nificantly, a dismissal more conteo”
Madaer that prudence had urged the to be driven hoane's astonishment turned into dismay when they told him what had taken place ”Why not try the Hotel de Ville, ested
”After that? It would be useless Wein Paris until the barriers are opened again”
”Perhaps it will not matter to us either way by then, madame,” said Aline
”Aline!” she exclaiane on the same note And then, because he perceived that people detained in this fashi+on er not yet discernible, but on that account more dreadful, he set his wits to work As they were approaching the Hotel Plougastel once more, he announced that he had solved the problem
”A passport from without would do equally well,” he announced ”Listen, now, and trust to ive me two permits--one for myself alone, and another for three persons--from Meudon to Paris and back to Meudon I reenter Paris with my own perether, we three, on the strength of the other one, representing ourselves as having come from Meudon in the course of the day It is quite siht”
”But hoill you leave?” asked Aline
”I? Pooh! As to that, have no anxiety My father is Mayor of Meudon
There are plenty who know hio to the Hotel de Ville, and tell theht in Paris by the closing of the barriers, and that
They will pass h It is quite si seemed as easy as he represented it
”Then let your passport be for four, ed hi the footane departed confident of soon returning, leaving them to await him with the saht closed in, bedtin of his return
They waited untilfor the other's sake to a confidence fully sustained, each invaded by vague pre tric-trac in the great salon, as if they had not a single anxious thought between thehed and rose
”It will be for to- it
”Of course,” Aline agreed ”It would really have been iht And it will be much better to travel to-morrow The journey at so late an hour would tire you so much, dear mada they were awakened by a din of bells--the tocsins of the sections ringing the alar of drums, and at one time they heard the sounds of aLater still came the rattle of small-arms in the distance and the deeper boom of cannon Battle was joined between the men of the sections and the men of the Court The people in arms had attacked the Tuileries Wildest rumours flew in all directions, and soh the servants to the Hotel Plougastel, of that terrible fight for the palace which was to end in the purposeless massacre of all those who himself and his family under the protection of the asse the course pointed out to him by evil counsellors, he prepared for resistance only until the need for resistance really arose, whereupon he ordered a surrender which left those who had stood by him to the last at thein the Tuileries, the toastel still waited for the return of Rougane, though noith ever-lessening hope And Rougane did not return The affair did not appear so sihtly afraid to lend himself to such a piece of deception
He ith his son to inform M de Kercadiou of what had happened, and told hiested, but which he dared not do
M de Kercadiou sought to move hiane remained firainstfor it Apart from that, and in spite of my anxiety to do all in my power to serve you, it would be a breach of trust such as I could not contemplate You must not askto happen?” asked the half-deane, ell informed, as we have seen ”War between the people and the Court I a should have come too late But, when all is said, I do not think that you need really alarm yourself War will not befor comfort to that assurance after the mayor and his son had departed But at the back of his e of the traffic in which M de Plougastel was engaged What if the revolutionaries were equally well informed? And most probably they were
The women-folk political offenders had been known aforeti was possible in a popular upheaval, and Aline would be exposed jointly with Mlooht solace extinguished between his fingers, there ca at the door
To the old seneschal of Gavrillac ent to open there stood revealed upon the threshold a sli man in a dark olive surcoat, the skirts of which reached down to his calves He wore boots, buckskins, and a small-sword, and round his waist there was a tricolour sash, in his hat a tricolour cockade, which gave him an official look extremely sinister to the eyes of that old retainer of feudalism, who shared to the full his master's present fears