by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER VI
An Anxious Time
Harry and the girls had brought bundles of clothes with themin their flight, as it would have looked strange had they arrivedwithout any clothes save those they wore. Harry had brought with himonly underlinen, as he had nothing else which would be of serviceto him now. No sooner had Louise Moulin left him than he went outand purchased, at a second-hand shop, a workman's suit. This hecarried home, and dressing himself in it descended the stairs againand set out to retrace his steps across Paris.
When he reached the mansion of the marquis he found a crowd ofpeople going in and out. Those leaving the house were laden witharticles of furniture, clocks, pictures, bedding, and other things.A complete sack of the mansion was indeed taking place. The servantshad all fled after the arrest of the marquis and his wife, andthe mob had taken possession of the house. The lofty mirrors weresmashed into fragments, the costly hangings torn down, and afterthey had destroyed much of the elaborate furniture, every man andwoman began to lay hands upon whatever they fancied and the mansionwas already stripped of the greater part of its belongings.
With his hands in his pockets, whistling carelessly, Harry wanderedfrom room to room watching the proceedings. Several barrels of winehad been brought up into the salon, and round these were gathereda number of already drunken men, singing, shouting, and dancing.
"Drink, drink, my garcon," a woman said, holding a silver gobletfull of wine towards him, "drink confusion to the tyrants andliberty and freedom to the people."
Harry drank the toast without hesitation, and then, heartsickat the destruction and ruin, wandered out again into the streets.Knowing the anxiety which Marie would be suffering as to the safetyof her lover he next took his way to the mansion of the Duke deGisons. The house was shut up, but groups of men were standing inthe road opposite talking.
Sauntering along Harry stopped near enough to one of these to hearwhat they were saying. He learned that the duke had been arrestedonly that morning. It had been effected quietly, the doors hadagain been locked before those in the neighbourhood knew what wasgoing on, and a guard had been left inside, partly, it was said, inorder that the mansion might be preserved from pillage and be usedfor public purposes, partly that the young count, who was absent,might be arrested when he returned.
As Harry knew that the duke had estates in the neighbourhood ofFontainebleau he thought it probable that Victor might have gonethither, and he at once proceeded towards the gate by which he wouldenter on his return thence. He sat down a short distance outsidethe gate and watched patiently for some hours until he perceived ahorseman approaching at a gallop and at once recognized Victor deGisons. Harry went forward on to the road and held out his arms.The young count, not recognizing him, did not check his horse andwould have ridden him down had he not jumped aside, at the sametime shouting to him by name to stop.
"What do you want, fellow?" Victor exclaimed, reining in his horse.
"You do not recognize me!" Harry said. "I am Harry Sandwith, count,and I am here to warn you of the danger of proceeding."
"Why, what has happened?" Victor exclaimed anxiously; "and why areyou in disguise, Monsieur Sandwith?"
"A great number of arrests have taken place in the night, among themthat of the Marquis de St. Caux and your father. Men are waitinginside your house to arrest you as you enter."
Victor uttered an exclamation of anger.
"That is why I have been sent away," he said. "My father had nodoubt received a warning of what was about to happen, and yesterdayat noon he requested me to ride to his estate and have an interviewwith the steward as to the rents. I wondered at his sending meso suddenly, and, feeling uneasy, rode there post-haste, saw thesteward last night, and started again on a fresh horse this morning.This accounts for it. He knew that if I were there nothing wouldhave induced me to separate myself from him, while by sending meaway he left it to me to do as I thought fit afterwards, trustingthat when I found that he was already imprisoned I might follow thecounsel he had urged upon me, to make my escape from the country.And how about the ladies, how about Marie?"
"The marquise was conveyed to prison with the marquis. The threeyoung ladies are all safe with their mother's old servant, LouiseMoulin; this is her address. They are in disguise as peasants, andno suspicion will, I hope, arise as to their real position. Notthat the marquis thought it probable they would be included inthe order of arrest, but he said there was no knowing now to whatlengths the mob might go and he thought it better that they shoulddisappear altogether for the present. Ernest and Jules went awayin disguise with Monsieur du Tillet. After seeing the young ladiesin safety this morning I went down to see what had happened at yourfather's mansion, in order to assuage Mademoiselle de St. Caux'sanxiety respecting your safety, and found, as I expected, thatthe duke had been arrested, and learned that a party were insidewaiting to arrest you on your return.
"I thank you indeed," Victor said, "and most warmly. I do notknow what to do. My father is most anxious that I should cross thefrontier, but I cannot go so long as he and Marie are in danger."
"If you enter Paris as you are," Harry said, "you are certain tobe arrested. Your only chance would be to do as I have done, namelyto disguise yourself and take a small lodging, where you might liveunsuspected."
"And in that way I can see Marie sometimes," Victor said.
"You could do so," Harry agreed, in a somewhat hesitating way, "butit would greatly add to her danger, and, were you detected, mightlead to the discovery of her disguise. Besides, the thought thatyou were liable to arrest at any time would naturally heighten theanxiety from which she is suffering as to the fate of her fatherand mother."
"But I cannot and will not run away and leave them all here indanger," Victor said passionately.
"I would not advise you to do so," Harry replied. "I would onlysuggest, that after seeing Mademoiselle de St. Caux once, youshould lead her to believe that you have decided upon making forthe frontier, and she will therefore have the happiness of believingthat you are safe, while you are still near and watching over her."
"That is all very well," Victor said; "but what opinion would shehave of me if she thought me capable of deserting her in that way?"
"You would represent that you were obeying the duke's orders; andbesides, if you did suffer in her opinion it would be but temporarily,for when she learned the truth, that you had only pretended toleave in order that her position might be the safer and that hermind might be relieved, she could only think more highly of you.Besides, if necessary, you could at any time again present yourselfbefore her."
"Your counsel is good, Monsieur Sandwith, and I will, at anyratefor a time, follow it. As you say, I can at anytime reappear.Where are you lodging? I will take a room near, and we can meetand compare notes and act together."
Harry gave him his address.
"You have only to walk upstairs to the top story. My room is theone directly opposite the top of the stairs."
"I will call on you to-morrow morning," Victor said. "I will ridemy horse a few miles back and turn him loose in some quiet place,and buy at the first village a blouse and workman's pantaloons."
"I think," Harry said, "that would be unwise, count; it would lookstrange in the extreme for a gentleman dressed as you are to makesuch a purchase. You might be at once arrested, or a report of thecircumstance might be sent into Paris and lead to your discovery.If you will wait here for half an hour I will go back and buy youthe things you want at the first shop I come to and bring them outto you. Then you can ride back and loose the horse as you propose;but I should advise you to hide the saddle and bridle, as well asthe clothes you are now wearing, most carefully. Whoever finds yourhorse will probably appropriate it and will say nothing about it,so that all clue to your movements will be lost, and it will besupposed that you have ridden to the frontier."
"Peste, Monsieur Sandwith! You seem to have a head ready for allemergencies. I know what a high opinion the marquis had of you,and I per
ceive that it is fully justified, and consider myself asfortunate indeed in having you for a friend in such a time as thepresent."
"We have need of all our wits," Harry said quietly. "The marquiswas good enough to accept my offer to do all that I could to lookafter the safety of mesdemoiselles, and if I fail in my trust itwill not, I hope, be from any lack of care or courage."
The meeting had taken place at a point where it could not be observedfrom the gate, and the count withdrew a few hundred yards fartheraway while Harry went back into Paris. The latter had no difficultyin purchasing the clothes required by the count and returned withthem in little over a quarter of an hour, and then, having seenDe Gisons ride off, he sauntered back into Paris and made his waytowards the heart of the city.
Crossing the river he found a vast crowd gathered in front of theHotel de Ville. The news of the wholesale arrests which had beenmade during the night had filled the populace with joy, and the airwas full of shouts of "Down with the Aristocrats!" "Vive Danton!Vive Marat! Vive Robespierre!" Hawkers were selling, in the crowd,newspapers and broadsheets filled with the foulest attacks, couchedin the most horrible language, upon the king, the queen, and thearistocracy.
At various points men, mounted upon steps or the pedestals ofstatues, harangued the mob while from time to time the crowd openedand made way for members of the city council, who were cheered orhooted according to their supposed sentiments for or against thecause of the people. After remaining there for some time Harrymade his way to the entrance to the Assembly. A crowd was gatheredhere, and a tremendous rush was made when the doors were opened.Harry managed to force his way in and sat for some hours listening tothe debate, which was constantly interrupted by the people in thegalleries, who applauded with frenzy the speeches of their favouriteorators, the deputies of the Mountain, as the bank of seats occupiedby the Jacobin members was named, and howled and yelled when theGirondists ventured to advocate moderation or conciliation.
It was late in the evening before the sitting was over, and Harrywas unable to leave his place earlier. Then he went and had supperat a wineshop, and after sauntering on the Boulevards until thestreets began to be deserted he again crossed the river and madehis way to the mansion. Not a light was to be seen in the windowsand all was still and quiet. The great door stood open. The workof destruction was complete; the house was stripped of everythingthat could be carried away.
Harry made his way up to the bedroom of the marquis. The massivebedstead still stood in its place, having defied the effortsof destruction which had proved successful with the cabinets andother furniture. Sitting down on the floor Harry counted the boardsbeneath the bed, and then taking out a strong knife which he hadpurchased during the day he inserted it by the side of the middleboard and tried to raise it. It yielded without difficulty to hiseffort.
As soon as it was lifted he groped in the cavity below it, and hishand soon came in contact with the heavy bag. Taking this out andputting it beneath his blouse he replaced the board and made hisway downstairs. He felt too fatigued to walk across Paris again,and therefore made his way down to the river and curled himselfup for the night at the foot of the wood pile where the girls hadfound shelter in the morning, and, in spite of the novelty of hissituation, fell instantly asleep.
It was broad daylight when he woke, and an hour later he regainedhis lodgings, stopping by the way to breakfast at a quiet estaminetfrequented by the better class of workmen. As when he had salliedout the day before, he was fortunate in meeting no one as he madehis way up the stairs to his room. His first step was to get upa board and to deposit beneath it the bag of money. Then, havingchanged his clothes, he went out and made a variety of purchasesfor housekeeping, as he did not wish to be obliged to take hismeals at places where anyone sitting at the table with him mightenter into conversation.
His French was quite good enough to pass in the salon of themarquis, but his ignorance of the Parisian slang spoken among theworking-classes would have rendered it difficult for him to keepup his assumed character among them, and would have needed thefabrication of all sorts of stories as to his birthplace and pasthistory.
Although in the position in which he was placed Harry felt that itwould be impossible always to adhere to the truth, he shrank fromany falsehoods that could possibly be avoided.
His first duty in order to carry out the task he had undertaken wasto keep up his disguise, and this must be done even at the cost oftelling lies as to his antecedents; but he was determined that hewould avoid this unpleasant necessity as far as lay in his power.
At nine o'clock he made his way to the apartments of Louise Moulin.His entry was received with a cry of satisfaction from the girls.
"What is the news, Harry?" Jeanne exclaimed. "We expected you hereyesterday evening, and sat up till ten o'clock."
"I was over the other side of the river discharging a mission yourfather had confided to me, and did not get back till this morning."
"I knew he was prevented by something," Jeanne said triumphantly."I told you so, Marie--didn't I?"
"Yes, dear, I was wrong to be impatient; but you will forgive me,Harry? You can guess how I suffered yesterday."
"It was natural you should expect me, mademoiselle. I was sorryafterwards that I did not tell you when I left you that I shouldnot be able to come in the evening, but indeed I did not think ofit at the time."
"And now for your news, Harry," Jeanne asked impatiently; "haveyou learned anything about our father and mother?"
"I am sorry to say I have not, except that they, with many others,were taken to the prison of Bicetre. But I have good news for you,Mademoiselle Marie. After going first to the house and finding it inthe possession of a hideous mob, who were plundering and drinking,I went to see what had taken place at the hotel of the Duc deGisons. I found that he had, like your father, been arrested inthe night. I learned that the count was absent, and that a partywere inside in readiness to arrest him on his return. Thinkingit probable that he might have gone down to their estate nearFontainebleau, I went out beyond the gate on that road and waitedfor him. I had the good fortune to meet him, to warn him of hisdanger, and to prevent his returning to town. He rode away with asuit of workman's clothes I had procured for him, and was to enterParis in that disguise in the evening. He is to call on me at teno'clock, and I will then conduct him hither. I thought it best tocome in before to let you know that he was coming."
Marie burst into tears of happiness at hearing that her lover hadescaped from the danger which threatened. Worn out by the fatigueand anxiety of the previous night, she had slept for some hoursafter reaching the shelter of the old nurse's roof, but she hadlain awake all night thinking over the danger of all those dear toher. She was now completely overcome with the revulsion of feeling.
"You are a dear boy, Harry!" Jeanne said with frank admiration,while Marie sobbed out exclamations of gratitude. "You do seem tothink about everything; and now Marie knows that Victor is safe, Ido hope she is going to be more like herself. As I tell her, theycannot hurt father or mother. They have done no wrong, and theymust let them out of prison after a time. Mamma said we were tobe brave; and at anyrate I try to be, and so does Virginie, thoughshe does cry sometimes. And now I hope Marie will be cheerful too,and not go about the rooms looking so downcast and wretched. Itseems to me a miserable thing being in love. I should have thoughtMarie would have been the last person to be downcast, for no oneis prouder of being a St. Caux than she is."
"I shall be better now, Jeanne," Marie said smiling, as she wipedaway her tears. "You shall not have any reason to complain of mein future.
"But do you not think, Harry," she went on with a return of heranxiety, "that it is very dangerous for Victor to come back intoParis? I know that his father has long been praying him to makefor the frontier."
"I do not think it is very dangerous at present, mademoiselle,although it may be later, if this rage against the aristocratsincreases; but I hope that when he has once seen you, which ishis principal o
bject in returning to Paris, he will carry our hisfather's wishes and make for the frontier, for his presence herecan be of no possible utility."
"Oh, I hope so," Marie said, "for I am sure Victor would soonbe found out, he could never make himself look like one of thesecanaille."
"Why shouldn't he?" Jeanne said indignantly. "Harry does, and heis just as good-looking as Victor."
Marie burst into a fit of laughter.
"What a champion you are, child, to be sure! But you are quiteright. Clothes, after all, do go a long way towards making a man.Still, although I think that it is dangerous for Harry, I think itwill be more dangerous for Victor; because, you see, he is a manand he has the manner of his race, and would find it more difficultto pass himself off as a workman than Harry, who has got somethingof English"--and she hesitated.
"Roughness," Harry put in laughing. "You are quite right, mademoiselle.I can assure you that with these thick shoes on I find it quitenatural for me to slouch along as the workmen do; and it will bemuch more difficult for the count, who always walks with his headthrown back, and a sort of air of looking down upon mankind ingeneral."
Marie laughed this time.
"That is a fair retort. Victor certainly has the grand manner.However, I shall order him to go; and if he won't obey his father'swishes, he will have to give way to mine."
"I think, mademoiselle, that it would be wiser for Monsieur de Gisonsto meet you elsewhere than here. The arrival of three relations tostop with Madame Moulin is sure to attract some little attentionamong her neighbours just at first. You will be the subject of talkand gossip. My visit will no doubt be noticed, and it will be aswell that there should not be more material for talk. The less weattract attention the better. No doubt many have escaped arrest,and there will be a sharp look-out, for, as they will call us,suspicious persons. I should propose, if you have no objection tosuch a course, that you should stroll out with your sisters andLouise through the fields to St. Denis. The count will be in myroom in a few minutes. We can keep a look-out from my window andfollow you at a distance until we get clear from observation beyondthe gates."
Marie looked at Madame Moulin, who nodded.
"That would be the best plan, my dear. What Monsieur Sandwithsays is very true. The less we give the neighbours to gossip aboutthe better; for though your disguises are good, if sharp eyes arewatching you they may note something in your walk or air that mayexcite suspicion."
"That being arranged then you must excuse me, for it is just thetime when the count was to arrive, and I fancy that he will bebefore rather than behind time."
Indeed, upon reaching the door of his room Harry found the youngcount standing there.
"Oh, it is you, friend Harry! I have been here ten minutes, and Ibegan to be afraid that something might have happened to you andto imagine all sorts of things."
"It is still three or four minutes before the time we agreed upon,Victor," Harry said in a loud voice, for at this moment one of theother doors opened, and a woman came out with a basket in her arms.
"I have been looking about as usual, but without luck so far. Isuppose you have had no better fortune in your search for work?"He had by this time unlocked his door, and the two entered together.
"I must call you by your Christian name, count, and will do so, ifyou don't mind, when alone as at other times, otherwise the titlemight slip out accidentally. Will you, on your part, call me Henri?As you know the marquis and his family called me Harry, which isthe ordinary way in England of calling anyone whose name is Henry,that is unless he is a soft sort of fellow; but I must ask them tocall me Henri now, Harry would never do here."
"Have you seen them?" was the count's first question.
"I have just left them, Victor, and if you look out from that windowinto the street you will in a few minutes see them also; they arejust going for a ramble towards St. Denis, and we will follow them.I thought it safer not to attract attention by going to the house,and I also thought that it would be more pleasant for you to talkto Mademoiselle de St. Caux out there in the fields, than in alittle room with us present.
"Much more pleasant; indeed, I was wondering whether I should getan opportunity for a few minutes' talk alone with her."
They both took their places at the open window and leaned outapparently chatting and carelessly watching what was passing inthe street.
A quarter of an hour later they saw Louise Moulin and the girlscome out of their house.
"We had better come away from the window now," Harry said; "Virginiemight look up and nod, we can't be too careful."
They waited three or four minutes to allow the others to get wellahead and then started out after them; they walked fast until theycaught sight of the others, and then kept some distance behinduntil the party had left the town and were out among the fieldswhich lay between Paris and St. Denis. They then quickened theirpace and were soon up with them.
The greeting between the lovers was a silent one, few words werespoken, but their faces expressed their joy at meeting again afterthe perils through which they had passed; there was a little pause,and then Harry, as usual, took the lead.
"I will stroll on to St. Denis and back with Jeanne and Virginie;Madame Moulin can sit down on that log over there, and go on withher knitting; you, Victor, can ramble on with mademoiselle by thatpath through the field; we will agree to meet here again in anhour."
This arrangement was carried out; Jeanne and Virginie really enjoyedtheir walk; the latter thought their disguise was great fun, and,being naturally a little mimic, imitated so well the walk andmanner of the country children she had seen in her walks near thechateau that her sister and Harry were greatly amused.
"I like this too, Harry," Jeanne said. "It would not be nice to bea peasant girl for many things; but it must be joyful to be ableto walk, and run, and do just as you please, without having agouvernante always with you to say, Hold up your head, MademoiselleJeanne; Do not swing your arms, Mademoiselle Jeanne; Please walkmore sedately, Mademoiselle Jeanne. Oh, it was hateful! Now wemight run, mightn't we, Harry?"
"Oh, by the way, Jeanne, please call me Henri now; Harry is English,and people would notice directly if you happened to say it whileanyone is near."
"I like Harry best," Jeanne said; "but, of course, I should notsay it before the people; but may we run just for once?"
"Certainly you may," Harry laughed; "you and Virginie can have arace to the corner of that wall."
"Come on, Virginie," Jeanne cried as she started, and the twogirls ran at full speed to the wall; Jeanne, however, completelydistancing her younger sister. They were both laughing when Harrycame up.
"That is the first time I have run a race," Jeanne said. "I haveoften wanted to try how fast I could run, but I have never venturedto ask mademoiselle; she would have been horrified; but I don'tknow how it is Virginie does not run faster."
"Virginie has more flesh," Harry said smiling. "She carries weight,as we should say in England, while you have nothing to spare.
"And she is three years older," Virginie put in. "Jeanne is justsixteen, and I am not thirteen yet; it makes a difference."
"A great deal of difference," Harry agreed; "but I don't think youwill ever run as fast as she does. That will not matter, you know,"he went on, as Virginie looked a little disappointed, "because itis not likely that you will ever race again; but Jeanne looks cutout for a runner--just the build, you see--tall, and slim, andactive."
"Yes," Virginie agreed frankly, "Jeanne has walked ever so far andnever gets tired, while I get dreadfully tired; mamma says sometimesI am quite a baby for my age."
"Here are some people coming," Harry said; "as we pass them pleasetalk with a little patois. Your good French would be suspicious."
All the children of the marquis, from their visits among the peasants'cottages, had picked up a good deal of the Burgundian patois, andwhen talking among themselves often used the expressions currentamong the peasantry, and they now dropped into this talk, whichHarry had
also acquired, as they passed a group of people comingin from St. Denis.
They walked nearly as far as that town, and then turned and reachedthe point where the party had separated, a few minutes before theexpiration of the appointed hour.
The two girls ran away to Louise Moulin, and chatted to her gaily,while Harry walked up and down until, a quarter of an hour later,the count and Marie made their appearance. The party stood talkingtogether for a few minutes; then adieus were said with a very paleface, but with firmness on Marie's part, and then the girls, withLouise, turned their faces to Paris, while Harry and Victor remainedbehind until they had got well on their way.
"It was hard to deceive her," Victor said; "but you were right.She insisted that I should go. I seemed to resist, and urged thatit was cowardly for me to run away and to leave her here alone,but she would not listen to it. She said it was a duty I owed to myfather and family to save myself, and that she should be wretchedif she thought I was in Paris in constant danger of arrest. Finally,I had to give way to her, but it went against the grain, for evenwhile she was urging me she must have felt in her heart it would becowardly of me to go. However, she will know some day that Victorde Gisons is no coward."
"I am sure it is better so," Harry said. "She will have anxietyenough to bear as to her father and mother; it is well that hermind should be at ease concerning you."
"In reality," Victor said, "I shall be safer here than I should bejourneying towards the frontier. The papers this morning say thatin consequence of the escape of suspected persons, and of theemigration of the nobles to join the enemies of France, ordershave been sent that the strictest scrutiny is to be exercised onthe roads leading to the frontier, over all strangers who may passthrough. All who cannot give a perfectly satisfactory account ofthemselves and produce their papers en regle, are to be arrestedand sent to Paris. Therefore, my chance of getting through would besmall indeed, whereas while remaining in Paris there can be littlefear of detection."
"Not much risk, I hope," Harry agreed; "but there is no saying whatstringent steps they may take as time goes on."
Victor had taken a lodging a few houses from that of Harry. Everyday the excitement in Paris increased, every day there were fresharrests until all the prisons became crowded to overflowing. Itwas late in August; the Prussians were advancing and had laid siegeto Verdun, and terror was added to the emotions which excited tomadness the population of Paris. Black flags were hung from thesteeples, and Danton and his allies skilfully used the fear inspiredby the foreign enemy to add to the general hatred of the Royalists.
"We Republicans," he said in the rostrum of the Assembly, "areexposed to two parties, that of the enemy without, that of theRoyalists within. There is a Royalist directory which sits secretlyat Paris and corresponds with the Prussian army. To frustrate itwe must terrify the Royalists."
The Assembly decreed death against all who directly or indirectlyrefused to execute or hindered the orders given by the executivepower. Rumours of conspiracy agitated Paris and struck alarm intopeople's minds, while those who had friends within the prison wallsbecame more and more alarmed for their safety.
On the 28th of August orders were issued that all the inhabitantsof Paris were to stay in their houses in order that a visit mightbe made by the delegates of the Commune to search for arms, of whichDanton had declared there were eighty thousand hidden in Paris, andto search for suspected persons. As soon as the order was issued,Harry and Victor went to their lodgings, and telling their landlordsthat they had obtained work at the other end of town, paid theirrent and left the city, and for the next two days slept in thewoods.
They passed most of their time discussing projects for enablingtheir friends to escape, for from the stringency of the steps taken,and the violence of the Commune, they could no longer indulge inthe hopes that in a short time the prisoners against whom no seriouscharge could be brought, would be released. At the same time theycould hardly persuade themselves that even such men as those whonow held the supreme power in their hands, could intend to takeextreme measures against so vast a number of prisoners as were nowin custody.
Victor and Harry knew that their friends had at first been taken tothe prison of Bicetre, but whether they were still confined therethey were of course ignorant. Still there was no reason to supposethat they had been transferred to any of the other jails.
The Bicetre was, they had discovered, so strongly guarded thatneither force nor stratagem seemed available. The jailers were thecreatures of Danton and Robespierre, and any attempt to bribe themwould have been dangerous in the extreme. Victor proposed that,as he as well as Harry was well provided with funds, for he hadbrought to Paris all the money which the steward of the estateshad collected, they should recruit a band among the ruffians of thecity, and make a sudden attack upon the prison. But Harry pointedout that a numerous band would be required for such an enterprise,and that among so many men one would be sure to turn traitor beforethe time came.
"I am ready to run all risks, Victor, but I see no chance of successin it. The very first man we spoke to might denounce us, and ifwe were seized there would be no one to look after the safety ofMademoiselle de St. Caux and her sisters. My first duty is towardsthem. I gave my promise to their father, and although it is notprobable that I can be of any use to them, I will at any rate, ifpossible, be at hand should occasion arise."
On the evening of the 30th they returned to Paris, and took twofresh apartments at a distance from their former quarters.
They were greatly anxious as to the safety of the girls, and Harryat once hastened there, but found that all was well. The deputies,learning from the landlord that only an old woman and her niecesinhabited the upper story, and having a heavy task before them,had only paid a short visit to the room, and had left after askingLouise one or two questions.
The girls, however, were in a state of terrible anxiety as totheir parents, although Louise had avoided repeating to them thesinister rumours which came to her ears when she was abroad doingher marketing, for she now went out alone, thinking it better thatthe girls should appear as little as possible in the streets.
"It is terrible," Marie said. "I think night and day of our fatherand mother. Can nothing be done? Surely we might devise some meansfor their escape."
"I can think of nothing," Harry said. "The prison is too strong tobe taken without a considerable force, and it would be impossibleto get that together."
"Could we not bribe these wretches?"
"I have thought over that too," Harry replied; "but, you see, itwould be necessary to get several men to work together. One might,perhaps, bribe the man who has charge of the cell, but there wouldbe other warders, and the guard at the gate, and the latter arechanged every day. I do not see how that could possibly be done."
"Would it be any use, do you think, were I to go to Danton orRobespierre and plead with them for their lives? I would do thatwillingly if you think there would be the slightest chance ofsuccess."
"It would be like a lamb going to plead with a wolf. You would onlyattract attention to them."
"Could you not get hold of one of these wretches and force him tosign an order for their release?" Jeanne suggested.
"Eh!" Harry exclaimed in surprise. "Jeanne, you have the besthead of us all. That idea never occurred to me. Yes, that might bepossible. How stupid of me not to think of it!"
"Do not run into any danger, Harry," Marie said earnestly. "Sucha scheme could hardly succeed."
"I don't know, mademoiselle. I think it might. I will think it over.Of course there are difficulties, but I do not see why it shouldnot succeed."
"Certainly it will succeed if Harry undertakes it," Jeanne said,with implicit trust in his powers.
Harry laughed, and even Marie, anxious as she was, could not helpsmiling.
"I will try and deserve your confidence, Jeanne; but I am not amagician. But I will talk it over with"--and he hesitated--"witha young fellow who is, like myself, a Royalist, and in disguise.
Luckily, we ran against each other the other day, and after alittle conversation discovered each other. He, too, has relativesin prison, and will, I am sure, join me in any scheme I may undertake.Two heads are better than one, and four are much better than twowhen it comes to acting. And now I must say good-night. I hopewhen I see you again I shall be able to tell you that I have formedsome sort of plan for their release."