-









Harry rescues Robesnierre from the assassins.—Page 288.
'" —In the Eeion of Terror*


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
THE ADVENTURES OF A WESTMINSTER BOY.
By G. A. HENTY,
ivthorof "Bonnie Prince Charlie" "The Lion of the North,-' "With Clivtiu
Young Carthaginian" "The Dragon and the Raven,"
With Lee in Virginia," "By Pike and Dyke," "Ck
Bayley's Heir," "By England's Aid,"
"Under Drake's Flag," "In
Freedom's Cause," eta,
ILLUSTRATED BY JOHN SCHONBBRO.
A. L. BURT COMPANY, * * * j> *
* o» j» o» PUBLISHERS. NEW YORK


JUvSnitE


PREFACE.
My Dear Lads: This time only a few words are
needed, for the story speaks for itself. My object
has been rather to tell you a tale of interest than to
impart historical knowledge, for the facts of the
dreadful time when "the terror" reigned supreme
in France are well known to all educated lads. I
need only say that such historical allusions as are
necessary for the sequence of the story will be found
correct, except that the Noyades at Nantes did not
take place until a somewhat later period than is
here assigned to them. Yours sincerely,
Or. A. Hentt.





CONTENTS.
CHAPTER L
MM.
A Journey to France.. 1
CHAPTER II.
A Mad Dog 26
CHAPTER III.
The Demon Wolf 51
CHAPTER IV
The Clouds Gather. 79
CHAPTER V.
The Outburst 99
CHAPTER VI.
The Anxious Time 124
CHAPTER VIL
The Second of September 153
CHAPTER VIII.
Marie Arrested 178
CHAPTER IX.
Robespierre 204
CHAPTER X.
Free 230


Vi CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XL
PASS.
Marie and Victor 265
CHAPTER XIL
Nantes 896
CHAPTER XIII.
In the Hands of the Reds 320
CHAPTER XIV.
The Noyades 850
CHAPTER XV.
England 378


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
CHAPTER L
A JOURNEY TO FRANCE.
"I don't know what to say, my dear."
"Why, surely, James, you are not thinking for a
moment of letting him go?"
"Well, I don't know. Yes, I am certainly think-
ing of it, though I haven't at all made up my mind.
There are advantages and disadvantages."
"Oh, but it is such a long way, and to live among
those French people, who have been doing such
dreadful things, attacking the Bastile, and, as I
have heard you say, passing all sorts of revolution-
ary laws, and holding their king and queen almost
as prisoners in Paris!"
"Well, they won't eat him, my dear. The
French Assembly, or the National Assembly, or
whatever it ought to be called, has certainly been
passing laws limiting the power of the king and
abolishing many of the rights and privileges of the
nobility and clergy; but you must remember that


2
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
the condition of the vast body of the Frenoh nation
has been terrible. We have long conquered our
liberties, and, indeed, never even in the height of
the feudal system were the mass of the English peo-
ple more enslaved than have been the peasants of
France.
"We must not be surprised, therefore, if in their
newly-recovered freedom they push matters to an
excess at first; but all this will right itself, and no
doubt a constitutional form of government, some-
what similiar to our own, will be established. But
all this is no reason against Harry's going out there.
You don't suppose that the French people are going
to fly at the throats of the nobility. Why, even in
the heat of the civil war here there was no instance
of any personal wrong being done to the families of
those engaged in the struggle, and in only two or
three cases, after repeated risings, were any even of
the leaders executed.
"No; Harry will be just as safe there as he
would be here. As to the distance, it's nothing like
so far as if he went to India, for example. I don't
see any great chance of his setting the Thames on
fire at home. His school report is always the same
—• Conduct fair; progress in study moderate'—
which means, as I take it, that he just scrapes along,
That's it, isn't it, Harry?"


IN THE RE10N OF TERROR.
3
"Fes, father, I think so. You see every one
cannot be at the top of the form."
"That's a very true observation, my boy. It is
clear that if there are twenty boys in a class, nine-
teen fathers have to be disappointed. Still, of
course, one would like to be the father who is not
disappointed."
"I stick to my work," the boy said; "but there
are always fellows who seem to know just the right
words without taking any trouble about it. It
comes to them, I suppose."
"What do you say to this idea yourself, Harry?"
"I don't know, sir," the boy said doubtfully.
"And I don't know," his father agreed. "At
any rate we will sleep upon it. I am clear that the
offer is not to be lightly rejected."
Dr. Sandwith was a doctor in Chelsea. Chelsea
in the year 1790 was a very different place to
Chelsea of the present day. It was a pretty
suburban hamlet, and was indeed a very fashionable
quarter. Here many of the nobility and personages
connected with the court had their houses, and
broad country fields and lanes separated it from the
stir and din of London. Dr. Sandwith had a good
practice, but he had also a large family. Harry
was at Westminster, going backward and forward
across the fields to school. So far he had evinced


4
fif ms RE1GN OP TEltRon.
no predilection for any special career. He was a
sturdy, well-built lad of some sixteen years old. He
was, as his father said, not likely to set the Thames
on fire in any way. He was as undistinguished in
the various sports popular among boys in those
days as he was in his lessons. He was as good as
the average, but no better; had fought some tough
fights with boys of his own age, and had shown
endurance rather than brilliancy.
In the ordinary course of things he would
probably in three or four years' time have chosen
some profession; and, indeed, his father had already
settled in his mind that as Harry was not likely to
make any great figure in life in the way of intellec-
tual capacity, the best thing would be to obtain for
him a commission in his majesty's service, as to
which, with the doctor's connection among people
of influence, there would not be any difficulty. He
had, however, said nothing as yet to the boy on the
subject.
The fact that Harry had three younger brothers
and four sisters, and that Dr. Sandwith, who was
obliged to keep up a good position, sometimes found
it difficult to meet his various expenses, made him
perhaps more inclined to view favorably the offer
he had that morning received than would otherwise
have been the case. Two years before he had


IN THE REIGN OP TERROR
s
attended professionally a young French nobleman
attached to the embassy. It was from him that the
letter which had been the subject of conversation
had been received. It ran as follows:
"Deae Dootok Sandwith: Since my return from
Paris I have frequently spoken to my brother, the
Marquis of St. Caux, respecting the difference of
education between your English boys and our own.
Nothing struck me more when I was in London
than your great schools. With us the children of
good families are almost always brought up at home.
They learn to dance and to fence, but have no other
exercise for their limbs, and they lack the air of
manly independence which struck me in English boys.
They are more gentil—I do not know the word in
your language which expresses it—they carry them-
selves better, they are not so rough; they are more
polite. There are advantages in both systems, but
for myself I like yours much the best. My brother
is, to some extent, a convert to my view. There
are no such schools to which he could send his sons
in France, for what large schools we have are under
the management of the fathers, and the boys have
none of that freedom which is the distinguishing
point of the English system of education. Even if
there were such schools, I am sure that madame my
sister-in-law would never hear of her sons being sent
there.
"Since this is so, the marquis has concluded that
the best thing would be to have an English boy of
good family as their companion. He would, of
course, study with them under their masters. He
would play and ride with them, and would be
treated as one of themselves. They would learn


6
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
something of English from him, which would be
useful if they adopt the diplomatic profession. He
would learn French, which might also be useful to
him; but of course the great point which my
brother desires is that his sons should acquire some-
thing of the manly independence of thought and
action which distinguishes English boys.
"Having arranged this much, I thought of you.
I know that you have several sons. If you have
one of from fourteen to sixteen years, and you
would bike him to take such a position for two or
three years, I should be glad indeed to secure such
a companion for my nephews. If not, would you
do me the favor of looking round among your ac-
quaintances and find us a lad such as we need. He
must be a gentleman and a fair type of the boy we
are speaking of. I may say that my brother author-
izes me to offer in his name, in addition to all ex-
penses, two thousand francs a year to the young
gentleman who will thus benefit his sons. I do not
think that the political excitement which is agita-
ting Paris need be taken into consideration. Now
that great concessions have been made to the repre-
sentatives of the nation, it is not at all probable
that there will be any recurrence of such popular
tumults as that which brought about the capture of
the Bastile. But in any case this need not weigh in
the decision, as my brother resides for the greater
part of the year in his chateau near Dijon in Bur-
gundy, far removed from the troubles in the
capital."
The more Dr. Sand with thought over the matter
the more he liked it. There were comparatively
few Englishmen in those days who spoke the French
language. It was, indeed, considered part of the


IN THE REIQN OF TERROR.
1
education of a young man of good family to make
what was called the grand tour of Europe underthe
charge of a tutor, after leaving the university. But
these formed a very small proportion of society,
and, indeed, the frequent wars which had, since the
Stuarts lost the throne of England, occurred be-
tween the two countries had greatly interfered with
continental travel.
Even now the subjects of France and England
were engaged in a desperate struggle in India, al-
though there was peace between the courts of Ver-
sailles and St. James. A knowledge of the French
language then would be likely to be of great utility
to Harry if he entered the army; his expenses at
Westminster would be saved, and the two hundred
and forty pounds which he would acquire during
his three years' stay in France would be very useful
to him on his first start in life. After breakfast
next morning Dr. Sand with asked Harry to take a
turn in the garden with him, for the holidays had
just begun.
"What do you think of this, Harry?"
"I have not thought much about it one way or
the other, sir," Harry said, looking up with a smile.
"It seemed to me better that you should do the
thinking for both of us."
"I might perhaps be better able to judge


8
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
whether it would be advantageous or otherwise
for you to accept the offer, but you must be the
best judge as to whether you would like to accept
it or not."
"I can't quite make up ray mind as to that, sir.
I like school very much and I like being at home.
I don't want to learn Frenchified ways, nor to eat
frogs and snails and all sorts of nastiness; still, it
would be fun going to a place so different to
England, and hearing no English spoken, and
learning all their rum ways, and getting to jabber
French."
"It might be very useful to you in the army,
Harry," and then the doctor stopped suddenly.
"The army !" Harry exclaimed in a tone of as-
tonished delight. "Oh, sir, do you really think of
my going into the army? You never said a word
about that before. I should like that immensely."
"That slipped out, Harry, for 1 did not mean to
say anything about it until you had left school;
still, if you go to France I do not know why you
should not keep that before you. I don't think the
army is a very good profession, but you do not seem
to have any marked talent for anything else. You
don't like the idea of medicine or the church, and
you were almost heartbroken when I wanted you
to accept the offer of your Uncle John of a seat in


IN THE RE IGN OF TERROR.
9
his counting-house. It seems to me that the army
would suit you better than anything else, and I
have no doubt that I could get you a commission.
Now, whenever we fight France is sure to be on the
other side, and I think that it would be of great
advantage to you to have a thorough knowledge of
French—a thing which very few officers in our
army possess. If you accept this offer you will
have the opportunity of attaining this, and at the
same time of earning a nice little sum, which would
pay for your outfit and supply you with pocket-
money for some time."
"Yes, sir, it would be first rate!" Harry exclaimed
excitedly. "Oh, please, accept the offer; I should
like it of all things; and even if I do get ever so
skinny on frogs and thin soup, I can get fat on roast
beef again when I get back."
"That is all nonsense, Harry, about frogs and
starving. The French style of cookery differs from
ours, but they eat just as much, and although they
may not, as a rule, be as broad and heavy as
Englishmen, that is simply a characteristic of race;
the Latin peoples are of slighter build than the Teu-
tonic. As to their food, you know that the Romans,
who were certainly judges of good living, considered
the snail a great luxury, and I dare say ate frogs
too. A gentleman who had made the grand tour


10
IN THE BEIGN OF TERROR.
told me that he had tasted them in Paris and found
them very delicate eating. You may not like the
living quite at first, but you will soon get over that,
and once accustomed to it you will like it quite as
well as our solid joints. My principal objection to
your going lies quite in another direction. Public
opinion in Prance is much disturbed. In the
National Assembly, which is the same as our Par-
liament, there is a great spirit of resistance to the
royal authority, something like a revolution has
already been accomplished, and the king is little
more than a prisoner."
"But that would surely make no difference to
me, sir!"
"No, I don't see that it should, Harry. Still, it
would cause your mother a good deal of anxiety."
"I don't see it could make any difference," Harry
repeated; "and you see, sir, when I go into the
army and there is war, mother would be a great
deal more anxious."
"You mean, Harry," the doctor said with a smile,
"that whether her anxiety begins a little sooner or
later does not make much difference."
"I don't think I quite meant that, sir," Harry
said; "but yes," he added frankly, after a moment's
thought, " I suppose I did; but I really don't see
that supposing there were any troubles in France it


IN THE ttEIGN OF TERRO&.
"He ought to be measured for several suits, m)
dear," she said to her husband, "made bigger and
bigger to allow for his growing."
"Nonsense, my daar! You do not suppose that
clothes cannot be purchased in France! Give him
plenty of under-linen, but the fewer jackets and
trousers he takes over the better; it will be much
better for him to get clothes out there of the same
fashion as other people; the boy will not want to
be stared at wherever he goes. The best rule is
always to dress like people round you. I shall give
him money, and directly he gets there he can get a
suit or two made by the tailor who makes for the
lads he is going to be with. The English are no
more loved in France than.the French are here, and
though Harry has no reason to be ashamed of his
nationality there is no occasion for him to draw the
attention of every one he meets to it by going about
in a dress which would seem to them peculiar."
In due time a letter was received from Count
Auguste de St. Caux, stating that the marquis had
requested him to write and say that he was much
gratified to hear that one of the doctor's own sons
was coming over to be a companion and friend to
his boys, and that he was sending off in the course
of two days a gentleman of his household to Calais
to meet him and conduct him to Paris. On young


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
Mr. Sand wit h's arrival at Calais he was to go at
once to the Hotel Lion d'Or and ask for M. du
Tillet.
During the intervening time Harry had been very
busy, he had to say good-by to all his friends, who
looked, some with envy, some with pity, upon him,
for the idea of a three years' residence in France
was a novel one to all. He was petted and made
much of at home, especially by his sisters, who re-
garded him in the light of a hero about to under-
take a strange and hazardous adventure.
Three days after the arrival of the letter of the
marquis Dr. Sand with and Harry started by stage
for Dover, and the doctor put his son on board the
packet sailing for Calais. The evening before he
gave him much good advice as to his behavior.
"You will see much that is new, and perhaps a
good deal that you don't like, Harry, but it is better
for you never to criticize or give a hostile opinion
about things; you would not like it if a French boy
came over here and made unpleasant remarks about
English ways and manners. Take things as they
come and do as others do; avoid all comparisons
between French and English customs; fall in with
the ways of those around you; and adopt as far as
you can the polite and courteous manner which is
general among the French, and in which, I must


14
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
say, they are far ahead of us. If questioned, you
will, of course, give your opinion frankly and
modestly; it is the independence of thought among
English boys which has attracted the attention and
approval of Auguste de St. Caux.
"Be natural and simple, giving yourself no airs,
and permitting none on the part of the lads you are
with; their father says you are to be treated as
their equal. But, upon the other hand, do not be
ever on the lookout for small slights, and bear with
perfect good temper any little ridicule your, to
them foreign, ways and manners may excite. I
need not tell you to be always straightforward,
honest, and true, for of those qualities I think you
possess a fair share. Above all things restrain any
tendency to use your fists; fighting comes naturally
to English boys, but in France it is considered as
brutal and degrading—a blow is a deadly insult,
and would never be forgiven.
"So, whatever the provocation, abstain from
striking any one. Should you find that in any way
your position is made intolerable, you will of course
appeal to the marquis, and unless you obtain redress
you will come home—you will find no difficulty in
traveling when you once understand the language
—but avoid anything like petty complaints. I
trust there will be no reason for complaints at all,


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
15
and that you will find your position an exceedingly
pleasant one as soon as you become accustomed to
it; but should occasion arise bear my words in
mind."
Harry promised to follow his father's advice im-
plicitly, but in his own mind he wondered what fel-
lows did when they quarreled if they werenot allowed
to fight; however, he supposed that he should,
under the circumstances, do the same as French
boys, whatever that might be.
As soon as the packet was once fairly beyond the
harbor Harry's thoughts were effectually diverted
from all other matters by the motion of the sailing
boat, and he was soon in a state of prostration, in
which he remained until, seven hours later, the
packet entered Calais harbor.
Dr. Sand with had requested the captain to allow
one of his men to show Harry the way to the Lion
d'Or. Harry had pulled himself together a little as
the vessel entered the still water in the harbor, and
was staring at the men in their blue blouses and
wooden shoes, at the women in their quaint and pic-
turesque attire, when a sailor touched him on the
shoulder.
"Now, young sir, the captain tells me I am to
show you the way to your hotel. Which is your
box?"


16 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
Harry pointed out his trunk; the sailor threw it
on his shoulder, and Harry, with a feeling of bewil-
derment, followed him along the gangway to the
shore. Here he was accosted by an officer.
"What does he say?" he asked the sailor.
"He asks for your passport."
Harry fumbled in his breast pocket for the docu-
ment which his father had obtained for him from
the foreign office, duly viseed by the French ambas-
sador, notifying that Henry Sand with, aged sixteen,
neight five feet eight, hair brown, eyes gray, nose
short, mouth large, was about to reside in France in
the family of the Marquis de St. Caux. The officer
glanced it over, and then returned it to Harry with
a polite bow, which Harry in some confusion en-
deavored to imitate.
"What does the fellow want to bow and scrape
like that for?" he muttered to himself as he followed
his guide. "An Englishman would just have
nodded and said 1 All right!' What can a fellow
want more, I should like to know? Well, I suppose
I shall get accustomed to it, and shall take to bow-
ing and scraping as a matter of course."
The Lion d'Or was close at hand. In reply to the
sailor's question the landlord said that M. du Tillet
was within. The sailor put down the trunk,
pocketed the coin Harry gave him, and with a


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
11
"Good luck, young master!" went out, taking with
him, as Harry felt, the last link to England. He
turned and followed the landlord. The latter
mounted a flight of stairs, knocked at a door, and
opened it.
"A young gentleman desires to see M. du Tillet,"
he said, and Harry entered.
A tall, big man, whose proportions at once disap-
pointed Harry's preconceived notions as to the
smallness and leanness of Frenchmen, rose from the
table at which he was writing.
"Monsieur—Sand with ?" he said interrogatively;
"I am glad to see you."
Harry did not understand the latter portion of
the remark, but he caught the sound of his name.
"That's all right," he said nodding. "How do
you do, M. du Tillet?"
The French gentleman bowed; Harry bowed; and
then they looked at each other. There was nothing
more to say. A smile stole over Harry's face, and
broke into a frank laugh. The Frenchman smiled,
put his hand on Harry's shoulder, and said:
"Brave gargon!" and Harry felt they were
friends.
M. du Tillet's face bore an expression of easy
good temper, He wore a wig with long curls; he
had a soldier's bearing, and a scar on his left cheek j


18
IK TSE REIGN OF TERROR.
his complexion was dark and red, his eyebrows
black and bushy. After a pause he said:
"Are you hungry?" and then put imaginary food
to his mouth.
"You mean will I eat anything?" Harry trans-
lated. "Yes, that I will if there's anything fit to
eat. I begin to feel as hungry as a hunter, and no
wonder, for I am as hollow as a drum!"
His nod was a sufficient answer. M. du Tillet
took his hat, opened the door, and bowed for Harry
to precede him.
Harry hesitated, but believing it would be the
polite way to do as he was told, returned the bow
and went out. The Frenchman put his hand on his
shoulder, and they went downstairs together and
took their seats in the salon, where his companion
gave an order, and in two or three minutes a bowl
of broth was placed before each of them.
It fully answered Harry's ideas as to the thinness
of French soup, for it looked like dirty water with
a few pieces of bread and some scraps of vegetables
floating in it. He was astonished at the piece of
bread, nearly a yard long, placed on the table. M.
du Tillet cut a piece off and handed it to him. He
broke a portion of it into his broth, and found, when
he tasted it, that it was much nicer than it looked.
"It's not so bad after all," he thought to himself.


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 19
"Anyhow, bread seems plentiful, so there's no fear
of my starving."' He followed his companion's
example and made his way steadily through a num-
ber of dishes all new and strange to him; neither
his sight nor his taste gave him the slightest indi-
cation as to what meat he was eating.
"I suppose it's all right," he concluded; "but
what people can want to make such messes of their
food for I can't make out. A slice of good roast
beef is worth the lot of it; but really it isn't nasty;
some of the dishes are not bad at all if one only
knew what they were made of." M. du Tillet
offered him some wine, which he tasted but shook
his head, for it seemed rough and sour; but he
poured himself out some water. Presently a happy
idea seized him; he touched the bread and said
interrogatively, "Bread?" M. du Tillet at once
replied "Pain" which Harry repeated after him.
The ice thus broken, conversation began, and
Harry soon learned the French for knife, fork,
spoon, plate, and various other articles, and felt
that he was fairly on the way toward talking
French. After the meal was over M. du Tillet rose
and put on his hat, and signed to Harry to accom-
pany him. They strolled through the town, went
down to the quays and looked at the fishing-boats;
Harry was feeling more at home now, and asked


30
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
the French name for everything he saw, repeating
the word over and over again to himself until he
felt sure that he should remember it, and then ask-
ing the name of some fresh object.
The next morning they started in the post-wagon
for Paris, and arrived there after thirty-six hours'
travel. Harry was struck with the roads, which
were far better tended and kept than those in Eng-
land. The extreme flatness of the country surprised
him, and, except in the quaintness of the villages
and the variety of the church towers, he saw little
to admire during the journey.
"If it is all like this," he thought to himself, "I
don't see that they have any reason for calling it la
helle France."
Of Paris he saw little. A blue-bloused porter
carried his trunk what seemed to Harry a long dis-
tance from the place where the conveyance stopped.
The streets here were quiet and almost deserted
after the busy thoroughfares of the central city.
The houses stood, for the most part, back from the
street, with high walls and heavy gates.
"Here we are at last," his guide said, as he halted
before a large and massive gateway, surmounted by
a coat of arms with supporters carved in stone-
work. He rang at the bell, which was opened by a
porter in livery, who bowed profoundly upon seeing


m THE REIGN OF TERROR. 21
M. du Tillet. Passing through the doorway, Harry
found himself in a spacious hall, decorated with
armor and arms. As he crossed the threshold M.
du Tillet took his hand and shook it heartily, saying,
"Welcome!" Harry understood the action, though
not the words, and nodded, saying:
"I think I shall get on capitally if they are all as
jolly as you are."
Then they both laughed, and Harry looked round
wondering what was coming next.
"The marquis and his family are all away at
their chateau near Dijon," his companion said,
waving his hand. "We shall stay a day or two to
rest ourselves after our journey, and then start to
join them."
He led Harry into a great salon magnificently
furnished, pointed to the chairs and looking-glasses
and other articles of furniture, all swathed up in
coverings; and the lad understood at once that the
family were away. This was a relief to him; he
was getting on capitally with M. du Tillet, but
shrank from the prospect of meeting so many
strange faces.
A meal was speedily served in a small and com-
fortably furnished apartment; and Harry concluded
that although he might not be able to decide on the
nature of his food, it was really nice, and that there


32
m THE REIGN OF TERROR.
was no fear whatever of his falling away in flesh.
M. du Tillet pressed him to try the wine again, and
this he found to be a vast improvement upon the
vintage he had tasted at Calais.
After breakfast next morning they started for a
walk, and Harry was delighted with the Louvre,
the Tuileries. the Palais Royal, and other public
buildings, which he could not but acknowledge were
vastly superior to anything he had seen in London.
Then he was taken to a tailor's, the marquis having
commissioned his guide to carry out Dr. Sand-
with's request in this matter. M. du Tillet looked
interrogatively at Harry as he entered the shop, as
if to ask if he understod why he was taken there.
Harry nodded, for indeed he was glad to see that
no time was to be lost, for he was already conscious
that his dress differed considerably from that of
French boys. Several street gamins had pointed at
him and made jeering remarks, which, without
understanding the words, Harry felt to be insulting,
and would, had he heard them in the purlieus of
Westminster, have considered as a challenge to
battle. He had not, however, suffered altogether
unavenged, for upon one occasion M. du Tillet
turned sharply round and caught one offender so
smartly with his cane that he ran howling away.
"They are awful guysl" Harry thought as he


lit THE REIQN OP TERROR.
looked at the French boys he met. "But it's better
to be a guy than to be chaffed by every boy one
meets, especially if one is not to be allowed to fight
It was, therefore, with a feeling of satisfaction that
he turned into the tailor's shop. The proprietor
came up bowing, as Harry thought, in a most
cringing sort of way to his companion. M. du
Tillet gave some orders, and the tailor unrolled a
variety of pieces of cloth and other materials for
Harry's inspection.
The lad shook his head and turned to his guide,
and, pointing to the goods, asked him to choose the
things which were most suitable for him; M. du
Tillet understood the appeal and ordered four suits.
Two of these were for ordinary wear; another was,
Harry concluded, for the evening; and the fourth
for ceremonial occasions.
The coats were cut long, but very open in front,
and were far too scanty to button; the waistcoats
were long and embroidered, a white and ample
handkerchief went round the throat and was tied
loosely, with long ends edged with lace falling in
front; knee breeches, with white stockings, and
shoes with buckles, completed the costume.
Harry looked on with a smile of amusement, and
burst into a hearty laugh when the garments were
fixed upon, for the idea of himself dressed out in
these seemed to him ludicrous in the extreme.


24 IN THE REIGN OF TEBROR.
"How they would laugh at home," he thought to
himself, "if they could see me in these things!
The girls would give me no peace. And wouldn't
there be an uproar if I were to turn up in them in
Dean's Yard and march up school!"
Harry was then measured. When this was done
he took out his purse, which contained fifty guineas;
for his father had thought it probable that the
clothes he would require would cost more than they
would in London, and he wished him to have a
good store of pocket-money until he received the
first installment of his pay. M. du Tillet, however,
shook his head and motioned to him to put up his
purse; and Harry supposed that it was not custom-
ary to pay for things in France until they were
delivered. Then his companion took him into an-
other shop and pointing to his own ruffles intimated
that Harry would require some linen of this kind
to be worn when in full dress. Harry signified
that his friend should order what was necessary;
and half a dozen shirts, with deep ruffles at the
wrist and breast, were ordered. This brought their
shopping to an end.
They remained three days in Paris, at the end of
which time Harry's clothes were delivered. The
following morning a carriage with the arms of the
marquis emblazoned upon it came up to the door,


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
25
and they started. The horses were fat and lazy;
and Harry, who had no idea how far they were
going, thought that the journey was likely to be a
long one if this was the pace at which they were
to travel.
Twelve miles out they changed horses at a post-
station, their own returning to Paris, and after this
had relays at each station, and traveled at a pace
which seemed to Harry to be extraordinarily rapid.
They slept twice upon the road.
The third day the appearance of the country
altogether changed, and, instead of the flat plains
which Harry had oegun to think extended all over
France, they were now among hills higher than
anything he had ever seen before. Toward the
afternoon they crossed the range and began to de-
scend, and as evening approached M. du Tillet
pointed to a building standing on rising ground
some miles away and said:
"That is the chateau."


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 27
"And you, M. du Tillet," the marquis said.
"You have made a good journey, I hope? I thank
you much for the trouble you have taken. I like
the boy's looks; what do you think of him?"
"I like him very much," M. du Tillet said; "he
is a new type to me, and a pleasant one. I think
he will make a good companion for the young
count."
The marquis now turned and led the way into a
great drawing-room, and taking Harry's hand led
him up to a lady seated on a couch.
"This is our young English friend, Julie. Of
course he is strange at present, but M. du Tillet re-
ports well of him and I already like his face."
The lady held out her hand, which Harry, instead
of bending over and kissing, as she had expected,
shook heartily. For an instant only a look of in-
tense surprise passed across her face; then she said
courteously:
"We are glad to see you. It is very good of you
to come so far to us. I trust that you will be
happy here."
"These are my sons Ernest and Jules, who will, I
am sure, do all in their power to make you oomfort-
able," the marquis said.
The last words were spoken sharply and signifi-
cantly, and their tone was not lost upon the two


IN TEE BEIGN OF TERROR.
boys; they had a moment before been struggling to
prevent themselves bursting into a laugh at Harry's
reception of their mother's greeting, but they now
instantly composed their faces and advanced.
"Shake hands with him," the marquis said
sharply; "it is the custom of his country."
Each in turn held out his hand to Harry, who,
as he shook hands with them, took a mental stock
of his future companions.
"Good-looking," he said to himself, "but more
like girls than boys. A year in the fifth form
would do them a world of good. I could polish the
two off together with one hand."
"My daughters," the marquis said, " Mesdemoi-
selles Marie, Jeanne, and Virginie."
Three young ladies had risen from their seats as
their father entered, each made a deep courtesy as
her name was mentioned, and Harry bowed deeply in
return. Mademoiselle Marie was two years at least
older than himself, and was already a young lady
of fashion. Jeanne struck him as being about the
same age as his sister Fanny, who was between
fourteen and fifteen. Virginie was a child of ten.
Ernest was about his own age, while Jules came
between the two younger girls.
"Take M. Sandwith to the abbe," the marquis
said to Ernest, "and do all in your power to set him


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
29
at his ease. Remember what you would feel if you
were placed as he is, among strange people in a
strange country."
The lad motioned to Harry to accompany him,
and the three boys left the room together.
"You can go to your governante," the marquise
said to the two younger girls; and with a profound
courtesy to her and another to the marquis, they
left the room. Unrestrained now by their presence,
the marquise turned to her husband with a merry
laugh.
"But it is a bear you have brought home,
Edouard, a veritable bear—my fingers ache still—
and he is to teach manners to my sons! I always
protested against the plan, but I did not think it
would be as bad as this. These islanders are
savages."
The marquis smiled.
"He is a little gauche, but that will soon rub off.
I like him, Julie. Rem ember it was a difficult posi-
tion for a boy. We did not have him here to give
polish to our sons. It may be that they have even
a Uttle too much of this at present. The English
are not polished, every one knows that, but they are
manly and independent. That boy bore himself
well. He probably had never been in a room like
this in his life, he was ignorant of our language,


80
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
alone among strangers, but he was calm and self-
possessed. I like the honest, straightforward look
in his face. And look at the width of the shoulders
and the strength of his arms; why, he would break
Ernest across his knee, and the two boys must be
about the same age." -
"Oh, he has brute strength, I grant," the
marquise said; "so have the sons of our peasants;
however, I do not want to find fault with him, it is
your hobby, or rather that of Auguste, who is, I
think, mad about these English; I will say nothing
to prevent its having a fair trial, only I hope it will
not be necessary for me to give him my hand
again."
"I do not suppose it will until he leaves, Julie,
and by that time, no doubt, he will know what to
do with it; but here is M. du Tillet waiting all this
time for you to speak to him."
"Pardon me, my good M. du Tillet," the marquise
said. "In truth that squeeze of my hand has driven
all other matters from my mind. How have you
fared? This long journey with this English bear
must have been very tedious for you."
"Indeed, Madame la Marquise," M. du Tillet re-
plied, "it has been no hardship, the boy has amused
me greatly; nay, more, he has pleased me. We
have been able to say little to each other, though,


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR 31
indeed, he is quick and eager to learn, and will soon
speak our language; but his face has been a study.
When he is pleased you can see that he is pleased,
and that is a pleasure, for few people are pleased in
our days. Again, when he does not like a thing
you can also see it. I can see that he says to him-
self, I can expect nothing better, these poor people
are only French. When the gamins in Paris jeered
him as to his dress, he closed his hands and would
have flown at them with his fists after the manner
of his countrymen had he not put strong restraint
on himself. From the look of his honest eyes I
shall, when he can speak our language, believe im-
plicity what he says. That boy would not tell a lie
whatever were the consequences. Altogether I like
him much. I think that in a very little while he
will adapt himself to what goes on around him, and
that you will have no reason ere long to complain
of his gaucheries."
"And you really think, M. du Tillet, that he will
be a useful companion for my boys?"
"If you will pardon me for saying so, madame, I
think that he will—at any rate I am sure he can be
trusted to teach them no wrong."
"You are all against me," the marquise laughed.
"And you, Marie?"
u I did not think of him one way or the other,"


3a IN THE REIQN OF TERROR.
the girl said coldly. "He is very awkward; but
as he is not to be my companion that does not con-
cern me. It is like one of papa's dogs, one more or
less makes no difference in the house so long as they
do not tread upon one's skirt."
"That is the true spirit of the French nobility,
Marie," her father said sarcastically. "Outside our
own circle the whole human race is nothing to us;
they are animals who supply our wants, voild tout.
I tell you, my dear, that the time is coming when
this will not suffice. The nation is stirring; that
France which we have so long ignored is lifting its
head and muttering; the news from Paris is more
and more grave. The Assembly has assumed the
supreme authority, and the king is a puppet in its
power. The air is dark as with a thunder-cloud,
and there may be such a storm sweep over France
as there has not been since the days of the
Jacquerie."
"But the people should be contented," M. du
Tillet said; "they have had all the privileges they
ever possessed given back to them."
"Yes," the marquis assented, "and there lies the
danger. It is one thing or the other. If as soon as
the temper of the third estate had been seen the
king's guards had entered and cleared the place and
closed the door, as Cromwell did when the parlia-


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
S3
ment was troublesome to him in England, that
would have been one way. Paris would have been
troublesome, we might have had again the days
of the Fronde, but in the end the king's party would
have won.
"However, that was not the way tried. They
began by concessions, they go on with concessions,
and each concession is made the ground for more.
It is like sliding down a hill; when you have once
begun you cannot stop yourself, and you go on until
there is a crash; then it may be you pick yourself
up sorely wounded and bruised, and begin to re-
climb the hill slowly and painfully; it may be that
you are dashed to pieces. I am not a politician. I
do not care much for the life of Paris, and am well
content to live quietly here on our estates; but even
I can see that a storm is gathering; and as for my
brother Auguste, he goes about shaking his head
and wringing his hands, his anticipations are of the
darkest. What can one expect when fellows like
Voltaire and Housseau were permitted by their
poisonous preaching to corrupt and inflame the
imagination of the people? Both those men's
heads should have been cut off the instant they
began to write.
"The scribblers are at the root of all the trouble
with their pestilent doctrines; but it is too late now,


34 IN TEE REIGN OF TERROR.
the mischief is done. If we had a king strong and
determined all might yet be well; but Louis is
weak in decision, he listens one moment to Mira-
beau and the next to the queen, who is more firm
and courageous. And so things drift on from bad
to worse, and the Assembly, backed by the tur-
bulent scum of Paris, are masters of the situation."
For some time Harry lived a quiet life at the
chateau. He found his position a very pleasant
one. The orders of the marquis that he should be
treated as one of the family were obeyed, and
there was no distinction made between himself and
Ernest. In the morning the two boys and himself
worked with the abbe, a quiet and gentle old man;
in the afternoon they rode and fenced, under the
instructions of M. du Tillet or one or other of the
gentlemen of the marquis' establishment; and on
holidays shot or fished as they chose on the pre-
serves or streams of the estate. For an hour each
morning the two younger girls shared in their
studies, learning Latin and history with their
brothers. Harry got on very well with Ernest, but
there was no real cordiality between them. The
hauteur and insolence with which the young count
treated his inferiors were a constant source of
exasperation to Harry.
"He thinks himself a little god," he would often


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR
35
mutter to himself. "I would give a good deal to
have him for three months at Westminster.
Wouldn't he get his conceit and nonsense knocked
out of him!"
At the same time he was always scrupulously
polite and courteous to his English companion—
much too polite, indeed, to please Harry. He had
good qualities too : he was generous with his money,
and if during their rides a woman came up with a
tale of distress he was always ready to assist her.
He was clever, and Harry, to his surprise, found
that his knowledge of Latin was far beyond his
own, and that Ernest could construe passages with
the greatest ease which altogether puzzled him.
He was a splendid rider, and could keep his seat
with ease and grace on the most fiery animals in
his father's stables.
When they went out with their guns Harry felt
his inferiority keenly. Not only was Ernest an ex-
cellent shot, but at the end of a long day's sport he
would come in apparently fresh and untired, while
Harry, although bodily far the most powerful,
would be completely done up; and at gymnastic
exercises he could do with ease feats which Harry
could at first not even attempt. In this respect,
however, the English lad in three months' time was
able to rival him. His disgust at finding himself so


36
IN TME HEWN Off TERROR.
easily beaten by a French boy nerved him to the
greatest exertions, and his muscles, practiced in all
sorts of games, soon adapted themselves to the new
exercises.
Harry picked up French very rapidly. The abso-
lute necessity there was to express himself in that
language caused him to make a progress which sur-
prised himself, and at the end of three months he
was able to converse with little difficulty, and hav-
ing learned it entirely by ear he spoke with a fair
accent and pronunciation. M. du Tillet, who was
the principal instructor of the boys in their outdoor
exercises, took much pains to assist him in his
French, and helped him on in every way in his
power.
In the evening there were dancing lessons, and
although very far from exhibiting the stately grace
with which Ernest could perform the minuet or
other courtly dances then in fashion, Harry came
in time to perform his part fairly. Two hours were
spent in the evening in the salon. This part of his
day Harry at first found the most tedious; but as
soon as he began to speak fluently the marquis ad-
dressed most of his conversation to him, asking him
questions about the life of English boys at school
and about English manners and customs, and Harry
soon found himself chatting at his ease.


IN TSK REIGN OP TERROR. 37
"The distinction of classes is clearly very much
less with you in England than it is here," the mar-
quis said one day when Harry had been describing
a great fight which had taken place between a
party of Westminster boys and those of the neigh-
borhood. "It seems extraordinary to me that sons
of gentlemen should engage in a personal fight with
boys of the lowest class. Such a thing could not
happen here. If you were insulted by such a boy,
what would you do, Ernest V
"I should run him through the body," Ernest
said quietly.
"Just so," his father replied, "and I don't say
you would be wrong according to our notions; but
I do not say that the English plan is not the best.
The English gentleman—for Monsieur Sandwith
says that even among grown-up people the same
habits prevail—does not disdain to show the canaille
that even with their own rough weapons he is their
superior, and he thus holds their respect. It is a
coarse way and altogether at variance with our
notions, but there is much to be said for it."
"But it altogether does away with the reverence
that the lower class should feel for the upper,"
Ernest objected.
"That is true, Ernest. So long as that feeling
generally exists, so long as there is, as it were, a


38
W THE REIGN OF TERROR.
wide chasm between the two classes, as there has
always existed in France, it would be unwise per-
haps for one of the upper to admit that in any
respect there could be any equality between them;
but this is not so in England, where a certain
equality has always been allowed to exist. The
Englishman of all ranks has a certain feeling of self-
respect and independence, and the result is shown
in the history of the wars which have been fought
between the two nations.
"France in early days always relied upon her
chivalry. The horde of footmen she placed in the
field counted for little. England, upon the other
hand, relied principally upon her archers and her
pikemen, and it must be admitted that they beat us
handsomely. Then again in the wars in Flanders,
under the English general Marlborough, their infan-
try always proved themselves superior to ours. It
is galling to admit it, but there is no blinking the
facts of history. It seems to me that the feeling of
independence and self-respect which this English
system gives rise to, even among the lowest class,
must render them man for man better soldiers than
those drawn from a peasantry whose very lives are
at the mercy of their lords."
"I think, Du Tillet," the marquis said later on
that same evening, when the young people had re-


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 39
tired, "I have done very well in taking my brother
Auguste's advice as to having an English compan-
ion for Ernest. If things were as they were under
the Grand Monarque, I do not say that it would
have been wise to allow a young French nobleman
to get these English ideas into his head, but it is
different now.
"We are on the eve of great changes. What
will come of it no one can say; but there will cer-
tainly be changes, and it is a good thing that my
children should get broader ideas than those in
which we were brought up. This lad is quiet and
modest, but he ventures to think for himself. It
scarce entered the head of a French nobleman a
generation back that the mass of the people had
any feelings or wishes, much less rights. They
were useful in their way, just as the animals are,
but needed no more consideration. They have
never counted for anything.
"In England the people have rights and liberties;
they won them years ago. It would be well for us
in the present day had they done so in France. I
fancy the next generation will have to adapt them-
selves to changed circumstances, and the ideas that
Ernest and Jules , will learn from this English lad
will be a great advantage to them, and will fit them
for the new state of things."


40
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
It was only during lessons, when their gouvernante
was always present, at meal times, and in the salon
in the evening, that Harry had any communication
with the young ladies of the family. If they met
in the grounds they were saluted by the boys with
as much formal courtesy as if they had been the
most distant acquaintances, returning the bows with
deep courtesies.
These meetings were a source of great amusement
to Harry, who could scarcely preserve his gravity
at these formal and distant greetings. On one
occasion, however, the even course of these meet-
ings was broken. The boys had just left the tennis*
court where they had been playing, and had laid
aside the swords which they carried when walking
or riding.
The tennis-court was at some little distance from
the house, and they were walking across the garden
when they heard a scream. At a short distance was
the governess with her two young charges. She
had thrown her arms round them, and stood the
picture of terror, uttering loud screams.
Looking round in astonishment to discover the
cause of her terror, Harry saw a large wolf-hound
running toward them at a trot. Its tongue was
hanging out, and there was a white foam on its
jaws. He had heard M. du Tillet tell the marquis


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 41
on the previous day that this dog, which was a
great favorite, seemed strange and unquiet, and he
had ordered it to be chained up. It had evidently
broken its fastening, for it was dragging a piece of
chain some six feet long behind it.
It flashed across him at once that the animal was
mad, but without an instant's hesitation he dashed
off at full speed and threw himself in front of the
ladies before the dog reached them. Snatching off
his coat, and then kneeling on one knee, he awaited
the animal's attack. Without deviating from its
course the hound sprang at him with a short snarl-
ing howl. Harry threw his coat over its head and
then grasped it round the neck.
The impetus of the spring knocked him over, and
they rolled together on the ground. The animal
struggled furiously, but Harry retained his grasp
round its neck. In vain the hound tried to free
itself from its blinding encumbrance, or to bite his
assailant through it, and struggled to shake off his
hold with its legs and claws, Harry maintained
his grasp tightly round its neck, with his head
pressed closely against one of its ears. Several
times they rolled over and over. At last Harry made
a great effort when he was uppermost, and managed
to get his knees upon the animal's belly, and then,
digging his toes in the ground, pressed with all his
weight upon it.


42
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
There was a sound as of cracking of bones, then
the dog's struggles suddenly ceased, and his head
fell over, and Harry rose to his feet by the side of
the dead hound just as a number of men, with
pitchforks and other weapons, ran up to the spot
from the stables, while the marquis, sword in hand,
arrived from the house.
The gouvernante, too, paralyzed by fear, had stood
close by with her charges while the struggle was
going on. Ernest had come up, and was standing
in front of his sisters, ready to be the next victim if
the dog had overpowered Harry. Less accustomed
to running than the English boy, and for a moment
rooted to the ground with horror at his sisters'
danger, he had not arrived at the spot until the
struggle between Harry and the dog was half over,
and had then seen no way of rendering assistance;
but believing that the dog was sure to be the con-
queror, he had placed himself before his sisters to
bear the brunt of the next assault.
Seeing at a glance that his daughters were un-
touched the marquis ran on to Harry, who was
standing panting and breathless, and threw his arms
round him.
"My brave boy," he exclaimed, "you have saved
my daughters from a dreadful death by your
courage and devotion. How can land their mother


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 43
ever thank you? I saw it all from the terrace—the
speed with which you sprang to their assistance—
the quickness of thought with which you stripped
off your coat and threwwjt over its head. After
that I could see nothing except your rolling over
and over in a confused mass. You are not hurt, I
trust?"
"Not a bit, sir," Harry said.
"And you have killed itv-wonderful!"
"There was nothing in that, sir. I have heard
my father, who is a doctor, say that a man could
kill the biggest dog if he could get it down on its
back and kneel on it. So when I once managed to
get my knees on it I felt it was all right."
"Ah, it is all very well for you to speak as if it
were nothing!" the marquis said. "There are few
men, indeed, who would throw themselves in the
way of a mad dog, especially of such a formidable
brute as that. You too have behaved with courage,
my son, and I saw you were ready to give your life
for your sisters; but you had not the quickness and
readiness of your friend, and would have been too
late."
"It is true, father," Ernest said in a tone of
humility. "I should have been too late, and, more-
over, I should have been useless, for he would have
torn me down in a moment, and then fallen upon
my sisters. *


44 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
"M. Sand with," he said frankly, "I own I hard
been wrong. I have thought the games of which
you spoke, and your fighting, rough and barbarous;
but I see their use ndw. You have put me to
shame. When I saw that dog I felt powerless, for
I had not my sword with me; but you—you rushed
to the fight without a- moment's hesitation, trust-
ing in your strength 'and your head. Yes, your
customs have made a maft of you, while I am a boy
still."
"You are very good to say so," Harry said;
"but I am quite sure that you would be just as
quick and ready as me in most circumstances, and if
it had been a matter of swords, very much more
useful; but I am glad you see there is some advan-
tage in our rough English ways."
The marquis had put his hand approvingly upon
Ernest's shoulder when he addressed Harry, and
then turned to his daughters. The governess had
sunk fainting to the ground when she saw that the
danger was over. Virginie had thrown herself
down and was crying loudly; while Jeanne stood
pale, but quiet, beside them.
The marquis directed one of the men to run up to
the chateau and bid a female servant bring down
water and smelling salts for the governess, and then
lifted Virginie up and tried to soothe her, while he
stretched out his other hand to Jeanne.


IN TBE REIGN OF TERROR.
45
"You are shaken, my Jeanne," he said tenderly,
"but you have borne the trial well. I did not hear
you cry out, though madame and the little one
screamed loudly enough."
''I was frightened enough, father," she said
simply, "but of course I wasn't going to cry out;
but it was very terrible; and oh, how noble and
brave he was! And you know, papa, I feel
ashamed to think how often I have been nearly
laughing because he was awkward in the minuet. I
feel so little now beside him."
"You see, my dear, one must not judge too much
by externals," her father said soothingly as she hid
her face against his coat, and he could feel that she
was trembling from head to foot. "Older people
than you often do so, and are sorry for it afterward;
but as I am sure that you would never allow him to
see that you were amused no harm has been done."
"Shall I thank him, papa?"
"Yes, presently, my dear; he has just gone off
with Ernest to see them bury the dog."
This incident caused a considerable change in
Harry's position in the family. Previously he had
been accepted in consequence of the orders of the
marquis. Although compelled to treat him as an
equal the two boys had in their hearts looked upon
him as an inferior, while the girls had regarded him


46
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
as a sort of tutor of their brothers, and thus as a
creature altogether indifferent to them. But hence-
forth he appeared in a different light. Ernest acted
up to the spirit of the words he had spoken at the
time, and henceforth treated him as a comrade to
be respected as well as liked. He tried to learn
some of the English games, but as most of these re-
quired more than two players he was forced to
abandon them. He even asked him to teach him to
box, but Harry had the good sense to make
excuses for not doing so. He felt that Ernest
was by no means his match in strength, and that,
with all his good will, he would find it difficult to
put up good-naturedly with being knocked about.
He therefore said that it could not be done without
boxing-gloves, and these it would be impossible to
obtain in France; and that in the next place he
should hardly advise him to learn even if he pro-
cured the gloves, for that in such contests severe
bruises often were given.
"We think nothing of a black eye," he said, laugh-
ing, " but I am sure madame your mother would not
be pleased to see you so marked; besides, your peo-
ple would not understand your motive in undertak-
ing so rough an exercise, and you might lose some-
what of their respect. Be content, Count Ernest;
you are an excellent swordsman, and although I aift.


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
47
improving under M. du Tillet's tuition I shall never
be your match. If you like, some time when we are
out and away from observation we can take off our
coats, and I can give you a lesson in wrestling; it
is a splendid exercise, and it has not the disadvan-
tages of boxing."
Little Jules looked up to Harry as a hero, and
henceforth, when they were together, gave him the
same sort of implicit obedience he paid to his elder
brother. The ceremonious habits of the age pre-
vented anything like familiarity on the part of the
younger girls; but Jeanne and Virginie now always
greeted him with a smile when they met, and joined
in conversation with him as with their brothers in
the evening.
The marquise, who had formerly protested, if
playfully, against her husband's whim in intro-
ducing an English boy into their family circle, now
regarded him with real affection, only refraining
from constant allusions to the debt she considered
she owed him because she saw that he really shrank
from the subject.
The marquis shortly after this incident went to
Paris for a fortnight to ascertain from his friends
there the exact position of things. He returned
depressed and angry.
The violence of the Assembly had increased from


48
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
day to day. The property of all the convents had
been confiscated, and this measure had been followed
by the seizure of the vast estates of the church. All
the privileges of the nobility had been declared at
an end, and in August a decree had been passed
abolishing all titles of nobility. This decree had
taken effect in Paris and in the great towns, and
also in some parts of the country where the passions
of the people were most aroused against the
nobility; but in Burgundy it had remained a dead
letter. The Marquis de St. Caux was popular upon
his estates, and no one had ever neglected to con-
cede to him and to the marquise their titles. He
himself had regarded the decree with disdain.
"They may take away my estates by force," he
said, "but no law can deprive me of my title, any
more than of the name which I inherited from my
fathers. Such laws as these are mere outbursts of
folly."
But the Assembly continued to pass laws of the
most sweeping description, assuming the sovereign
power, and using it as no monarch of France had
ever ventured to do. Moderate men were shocked
at the headlong course of events, and numbers of
those who at the commencement of the movement
had thrown themselves heart and soul into it now
shrank back in dismay at the strange tyranny which
was called liberty*-


W THE REIGN OF TERROR.
"It seems to me that a general madness has seized
all Paris," the marquis said to his wife on his return,
"but at present nothing can be done to arrest it. I
have seen the king and queen. His majesty is re-
solved to do nothing; that is, to let events take
their course, and what that will be heaven only
knows. The Assembly has taken all power into its
hands, the king is already a mere cipher, the
violence of the leaders of these men is beyond all
bounds; the queen is by turns hot and cold; at one
moment she agrees with her husband that the only
hope lies in conceding everything; at another she
would go to the army, place herself in its hands, and
call on it to march upon Paris.
"At any rate there is nothing to be done at
present but to wait. Already numbers of the
deputies, terrified at the aspect of affairs, have left
France, and I am sorry to say many of the nobles
have also gone. This is cowardice and treachery to
the king. We cannot help him if he will not be
helped, but it is our duty to remain here ready to
rally round him when he calls us to his side. I am
glad that the Assembly has passed a law confiscating
the estates of all who have emigrated."
Although the marquise was much alarmed at the
news brought by her husband she did not think of
questioning his decision. It did not seem to her


50 Of tSB REIGN OF TERROR.
possible that there could be danger for her and hers
in their quiet country chateau. There might be dis
turbance and bloodshed, and even revolution, in
Paris; but surely a mere echo of this would reach
them so far away.
"Whenever you think it is right to go up and
take your place by the king I will go and take mine
by the queen," she said quietly. "The children
will be safe here; but of course we must do our
duty."
The winter passed quietly at the chateau; there
was none of the usual gayety, for a deep gloom hung
over all the noble families of the province; still at
times great hunting parties were got up for the
chase of the wolves among the forests, for, when
the snow was on the ground, these often came down
into the villages and committed great depredations


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR, 51
CHAPTER in.
THE DEMON WOLF.
Upon the first of these occasions Harry and
Ernest were in high spirits, for they were to take
part in the chase. It was the first time Ernest had
done so, for during the previous winter the marquis
had been in attendance on the court. At an early
hour" the guests invited to take part in the chase
began to assemble at the chateau. Many who lived
at a distance had come over night, and the great
courtyard presented a lively aspect with the horses
and attendants of the guests. A collation was
spread in the great hall, and the marquise and her
eldest daughter moved about among the guests,
saying a few words of welcome to each.
"Who is that young man who is talking to made-
moiselle your sister, Ernest?" Harry asked, for
since the adventure with the mad dog the ceremo-
nious title had been dropped, and the boys addressed
each other by their Christian names.
"That is Monsieur Lebat; he is the son of the
Mayor of Dijon. I have not seen him here before,


59
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
but I suppose my father thinks it is well in these
times to do the civil thing to the people of Dijon.
He is a good-looking fellow too, but it is easy to see
he is not a man of good family."
"I don't like his looks at all," Harry said shortly.
"Look what a cringing air he puts on as he speaks
to madame la marquise. And yet I fancy he could
be insolent when he likes. He may be good-look-
ing, but it is not a style I admire, with his thick
lips and his half-closed eyes. If I met him at home
I should say the fellow was something between a
butcher and a Jew peddler."
"Well done, monsieur the aristocrat!" Ernest
said, laughing. "This is your English equality!
Here is a poor fellow who is allowed to take a
place out of his station, thanks to the circumstances
of the time, and you run him down mercilessly!"
"I don't run him down because he is not a gentle-
man," Harry said. "I run him down because I
don't like his face; and if he were the son of a duke
instead of the son of a mayor I should dislike it
just as much. You take my word for it, Ernest,
that's a bad fellow."
"Poor Monsieur Lebat!" Ernest laughed. "I
dare say he is a very decent fellow in his way."
"I am sure he is not, Ernest; he has a cruel, bad
look. I would not have been that fellow's fag at
school for any money."


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
53
"Well, it's fortunate, Harry, that you are not
likely to see much of him, else I should expect to
see you flying at his neck and strangling him as you
did the hound."
Harry joined in the laugh.
"I will restrain myself, Ernest; and besides, he
would be an awkward customer; there's plenty of
strength in those shoulders of his, and he looks
active and sinewy in spite of that indolent air he
puts on; but there is the horn, it is time for us to
mount."
In a few minutes some thirty gentlemen were in
the saddle, the marquis, who was grand louvetier
of the province, blew his horn, and the whole
cavalcade got into motion, raising their hunting
caps, as they rode off, to the marquise and her
daughters, who were standing on the step of the
chateau to see them depart. The dogs had already
been sent forward to the forest, which was some
miles distant.
On arriving there the marquis found several
woodmen, who had been for the last two days mark-
ing the places most frequented by the wolves.
They had given their reports and the party were
just starting when a young forester rode up.
"Monsieur le marquis," he said, "I have good
news for you; the demon wolf is in the forest. I


54
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
saw him making his way along a glade an hour
since as I was on my way thither. I turned back
to follow him, and tracked him to a ravine in the
hills choked with undergrowth."
The news created great excitement.
"The demon wolf!" the marquis repeated. "Are
you sure?"
"Quite sure, monsieur. How could I mistake it!
I saw him once four years ago, and no one who
had once done so could mistake any other wolf for
him."
"We are in luck indeed, gentlemen," the marquis
said. "We will see if we can't bring this fellow's
career to an end at last. I have hunted him a score
of times myself since my first chase of him, well-
nigh fifteen years ago, but he has always given us
the slip."
"And will again," an old forester, who was stand-
ing close to Harry, muttered. "I do not believe
the bullet is cast which will bring that wolf to
earth."
"What is this demon wolf?" Harry asked Ernest.
"It is a wolf of extraordinary size and fierceness.
For many years he has been the terror of the
mothers of this part of France. He has been
known to go into a village and boldly carry off an
infant at midday. Every child who has been killed


12f THE REIGN OP TERROR.
56
by wolves for years is always supposed to have been
slain by this wolf. Sometimes he is seen in one part
of the province and sometimes in another.
"For months he is not heard of. Then there is
slaughter among the young lambs. A child going
to school, or an old woman carrying home a fagot
from the forest is found torn and partly devoured,
and the news spreads that the demon wolf has
returned to the neighborhood. Great hunts have
over and over again been got up specially to slay
him, but he seems to lead a charmed life. He has
been shot at over and over again, but he seems to
be bullet-proof.
"The peasants regard him not as an ordinary
wolf but as a demon, and mothers quiet their chil-
dren when they cry by saying that if they are not
good the demon wolf will carry them off. Ah,
if we could kill him to-day it would be a grand
occasion!"
"Is there anything particular about his appear-
ance J"
"Nothing except his size. Some of those who
have seen him declare that he is as big as three
ordinary wolves; but my father, who has caught
sight of him several times, says that this is an
exaggeration, though he is by far the largest wolf
he ever saw. He is lighter in color than other


66
IN THE REIQN OF TERROR.
wolves, but those who saw him years ago say that
this was not the case then, and that his light color
must be due to his great age."
The party now started, under the guidance of the
forester, to the spot where he had seen the wolf
enter the underwood.
It was the head of a narrow valley. The sides
which enclosed it sloped steeply, but not too much
so for the wolf to climb. During the last halt the
marquis had arranged the plan of action. He him-
self, with three of the most experienced huntsmen,
took their stations across the valley, which was but
seventy or eighty yards wide. Eight of the others
were to dismount and take post on either side of the
ravine.
"lam sorry, gentlemen, that I cannot find posts
for the rest of you, but you may have your share of
the work. Over and over again this wolf has
slipped away when we thought we had him sur-
rounded, and what he has done before he may do
again. Therefore, let each of you take up such a
position as he thinks best outside our circle, but keep-
ing well behind trees or other shelter, so as to cover
himself from any random shot that may be fired
after the wolf. Do you, on your part, fire only
when the wolf has passed your line, or you may hit
some of us."


m TEE BElGN OF TERROR.
6?
The two lads were naturally among those left out
from the inner circle.
"What do you think, Ernest; shall we remain on
our horses here in the valley or climb the hills V
"I should say wait here, Harry; in the first place,
because it is the least trouble, and in the second, be-
cause I think he is as likely to come this way as
any other. At any rate we may as well dismount
here, and let the horses crop that piece of fresh
grass until we hear the horn that will tell us when
the dogs have been turned into the thicket to drive
him out."
It was half an hour before they heard the distant
note of the horn.
"They have begun," Ernest exclaimed; "we had
better mount at once. If the brute is still there he
is just as likely, being such an old hand at the sport,
to make a bolt at once, instead of waiting until the
dogs are close to him."
"What are we to do if we see him?" Harry
asked.
"We are to shoot him if we can. If we miss him,
or he glides past us before we can get a shot, we
must follow shouting, so as to guide the rest as to
the direction he is taking."
"My chance of hitting him is not great," Harry
said. "I am not a very good shot even on my feet;


IN THE RGIGN OF TERROR.
but sitting in my saddle I do not think it likely I
should get anywhere near him."
A quarter of an hour passed. The occasional
note of a dog and the shouts of the men encourag-
ing them to work their way through the dense
thicket could be heard, but no sound of a shot met
their ears.
"Either he is not there at all, or he is lying very
close," Ernest said.
"Look, look!" Harry said suddenly, pointing
through the trees to the right.
"That is the wolf, sure enough," Ernest ex-
claimed. "Come along."
The two lads spurred their horses and rode reck-
lessly through the trees toward the great gray
beast, who seemed to flit like a shadow past them.
"Mind the boughs, Ernest, or you will be swept
from your saddle. Hurrah! the trees are more
open in front."
But although the horses were going at the top of
their speed they scarcely seemed to gain on the
wolf, who, as it seemed to them, kept his distance
ahead without any great exertion.
"We shall never catch him," Harry exclaimed
after they had ridden for nearly half an hour, and
the labored panting of the horses showed that they
could not long maintain the pace.


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
89
Suddenly, ten yards ahead of the wolf, a man,
armed with a hatchet, stepped out from behind a
tree directly in its way. He was a woodcutter
whose attention being called by the sound of the
galloping feet of the horses, had left his half-hewn
tree and stepped out to see who was coming. He
gave an exclamation of surprise and alarm as he
saw the wolf, and raised his hatchet to defend him-
self. Without a moment's hesitation the animal
sprang upon him and carried him to the ground, fix-
ing its fangs into his throat. There was a struggle
for a few moments, and then the wolf left its lifeless
foe and was about to continue its flight.
"Get ready to fire, Harry," Ernest exclaimed as
the wolf sprang upon the man, "it is our last
chance. If he gets away now we shall never oatch
him."
They reined in their horses just as the wolf rose
to fly. Harry fired first, but the movement of his
panting horse deranged his aim and the bullet flew
wide. More accustomed to firing on horseback,
Ernest's aim was truer; he struck the wolf on the
shoulder, and it rolled over and over. With a shout
of triumph the boys dashed forward, but when they
were within a few paces the wolf leaped to its feet
and endeavored to spring toward them. Harry's
horse wheeled aside so sharply that he was hurled
from the saddle.


60
IN THE RKIQN OF TERROR.
The shock was a severe one, and before he could
rise to his feet the wolf was close upon him. He
tried as he rose to draw his hunting-sword, but
before he could do so, Ernest, who had, when he
saw him fall, at once leaped from his horse, threw
himself before him, and dealt the wolf a severe blow
on the head with his weapon.
Furious with rage and pain the wolf sprang upon
him and seized him by the shoulder. Ernest
dropped his sword, and drawing his hunting-knife
struck at it, while at the same moment Harry ran it
through the body.
So strong and tenacious of life was the animal
that the blows were repeated several times before
it loosed its hold of Ernest's shoulder and fell dead.
"Are you hurt, my dear Ernest?" was Harry's
first exclamation.
"Oh, never mind that, that's nothing," Ernest
replied. "Only think, Harry, you and I have killed
the demon wolf, and no one else had a hand in it.
There is a triumph for us."
"The triumph is yours, Ernest," Harry said.
"He would have got away had you not stopped
him with your bullet, and he would have made
short work of me had you not come to my rescue,
for I was half stunned with the fall, and he would
have done for me as quickly as he did for that
poor fellow there."


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 61
u That is true, Harry, but it was you who gave
him his mortal wound. He would have mastered
me otherwise. He was too strong for me, and
would have borne me to the ground. No, it's a
joint business, and we have both a right to be proud
of it. Now let us fasten him on my horse; but
before we do that, you must bind up my shoulder
somehow. In spite of my thick doublet he has bit
me very sharply. But first let us see to this poor
fellow. I fear he is dead."
It was soon seen that nothing could be done for
the woodman, who had been killed almost instantly.
Harry, therefore, proceeded to cut off Ernest's coat-
sleeve and bathed the wound. The flesh was badly
torn, and the arm was so useless that he thought
that some bones were broken. Having done his
best to bandage the wound, he strapped the arm
firmly across the body, so as to prevent its being
shaken by the motion of the riding. It was with
the greatest difficulty that they were able to lift the
body of the wolf, but could not lay it across the
horse, as the animal plunged and kicked and refused
to allow it to be brought near. Ernest was able to
assist but little, for now that the excitement was
over he felt faint and sick with the pain of his
wound.
"I think you had better ride off, Harry, and bring


62 m THE REIGN OF TERROR.
some one to our assistance. I will wait here till
you come back."
"I don't like to do that," Harry said. "They
must be seven or eight miles away, and I may not
be able to find them. They may have moved away
to some other part of the forest. Ah! I have an
idea! Suppose I cut a pole, tie the wolfs legs
together and put the pole through them; then we
can hoist the pole up and lash its ends behind the
two saddles. The horses may not mind so much if
it's not put upon their backs."
"That might do," Ernest agreed; "but you
mustn't make the pole more than six or seven feet
long, or we shall have difficulty in riding between
the trees."
The pole was soon cut and the wolf in readiness
to be lifted, but the horses still refused to stand
steady.
"Blindfold them, Harry," Ernest said suddenly,
"and tie them up to two trees a few feet apart."
This was soon done, and the boys then patted
and soothed them until they became quiet. The
pole was now lifted, and this time they managed to
lay it across the saddles and to lash it securely to
the cantle3. Then they mounted, and taking the
bandages off the horses' eyes set out on their way.
The horses were fidgety at first, but presently fell
into a quiet walk.


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
For upward of an hour they heard nothing of
the huntsmen. Not a sound broke the stillness of
the forest; the sun was shining through the leafless
trees, and they were therefore enabled to shape
their course in the direction in which they had come.
Presently they heard the sound of a shot, fol-
lowed by several others, and then the bay of hounds.
The sound came from their left.
"They have been trying a fresh place," Ernest
said," and I expect they have come upon two
wolves; one they have shot, the hounds are after
the other."
They turned their horses' heads in the direction of
the sounds, and presently Harry said:
"They are coming this way."
Louder and louder grew the sounds of the chase;
then the deep tones of the hounds were exchanged
for a fierce, angry barking.
"The wolf is at bay !" Ernest exclaimed.
A minute later some notes were sounded on the
horn.
"That is the mort, Harry. We shall arrive before
they move on again."
Five minutes later they rode into a glade where
a number of horsemen were assembled. There was
a shout as they were seen.
"Why, Ernest," the marquis called as they


nr THE REIGN OF TERROR.
65
■topping it with a ball, but the rest was entirely a
joint affair."
The slaying of the demon wolf was so important
an event that no one thought of pursuing the hunt
further that day. The other two wolves were
added to the procession, but they looked small and
insignificant beside the body of that killed by the
boys. Harry learned that no one had suspected
that they had gone in pursuit of the wolf. A vigi-
lant lookout had been kept all round the thicket,
while the dogs hunted it from end to end, but no
signs had been seen of it, and none were able to
understand how it could have slipped between the
watchers unseen.
After the ravine had been thoroughly beaten the
party had moved off to another cover. On their
way there the marquis had missed the two boys.
No one had seen them, and it was supposed that
they had loitered behind in the forest. Two or
three notes of recall had been blown, and then no
one had thought more of the matter until they rode
into the glade when the second wolf had just been
pulled down by the pack.
It was afternoon when the hunting party arrived
at the chateau. Before they started homeward the
marquis had sent off two horsemen; one to Dijon to
bring a surgeon with all speed to the chateau, the


66
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
other to tell the marquise that Ernest had been
hurt, and that everything was to be got in readiness
for him; but that she was not to make herself un-
easy, as the injury was not a serious one. The
messengers were charged strictly to say nothing
about the death of the demon wolf.
The marquise and her daughters were at the en-
trance as the party arrived. The sight of the litter
added to the anxiety which Ernest's mother was
feeling, but the marquis rode on a short distance
ahead to her.
"Do not be alarmed, Julie," he said; "the lad is
not very seriously hurt. He has been torn a bit by
a wolf, and has behaved splendidly."
"The messenger said he had been hurt by a wolf,
Edouard; but how came he to put himself in such
peril?"
"He will tell you all about it, my dear. Here he
is to speak for himself."
"Do not look so alarmed, mother," Ernest said
as she ran down to the side of the litter. "It is no
great harm, and I should not have minded it if it
had been ten times as bad."
"Bring up the wolf," the marquis said, "and
Harry, do you come here and stand by Ernest's
side. Madame la marquise," he went on, "do you
see that great gray wolf? That is the demon wolf


IN THE REION OF TERROR.
6?
which has for years been the terror of the district,
and these are its slayers. Your son and M. Sand-
with, they, and they alone, have reaped the glory
which every sportsman in Burgundy has been so
long striving to attain; they alone in the forest,
miles away from the hunt, pursued and slew this
scourge of the province."
He put his horn to his lips. The others who car-
ried similar instruments followed his example. A
triumphant traralira was blown. All present took
off their hunting-caps and cheered, and the hounds
added their barking to the chorus.
"Is it possible, Edouard," the marquise said, ter-
rified at the thought of the danger her son must
have run in an encounter with the dreaded beast,
"is it possible that these two alone have slain this
dreadful wolf?"
"It is quite possible, my dear, since it has been
done, though, had you asked me yesterday, I should
almost have said that it could not be; however,
there it is. Ernest and his brave young friend have
covered themselves with glory; they will be the
heroes of the department. But we must not stay
talking here. We must get Ernest into bed as soon
as possible. A surgeon will be here very shortly.
I sent a messenger on to Dijon for one at the same
time I sent to vou."
0


68
IN TEE REIGN OF TERROR.
The marquis stayed outside for a few minutes
while the domestics handed round great silver cups
full of spiced wine, and then bidding good-by to his
guests entered the chateau just as the surgeon rode
up to the entrance.
"Please tell us all about it ?" his daughters asked
him when, having seen the surgeon set the broken
bone and bandage the wound, operations which
Ernest bore with stoical firmness, he went down to
the salon where his daughters were anxiously ex-
pecting him. "All about it, please. We have
heard nothing, for Harry went upstairs with Ernest,
and has not come down again."
The marquis told the whole story, how the wolf
had made his escape unseen through the cordon
round his lair, and had passed within sight of the
two boys some distance away, and how they had
hunted it down and slain it. The girls shuddered
at the story of the death of the woodcutter and the
short but desperate conflict with the wolf.
"Then Ernest has the principal honor this time,"
the eldest girl said.
"It is pretty evenly divided," the marquis said.
"Tou see Ernest brought the wolf to bay by break-
ing its shoulder, and struck the first blow as it was
flying upon Harry, who had been thrown from his
horse. Then, again, Ernest would almost certainly


IN TEE REIGN OF TERROR. 69
have been killed had not Harry in his turn come to
his assistance and dealt it its mortal blows. There
is not much difference, but perhaps the chief honors
rest with Ernest."
"I am glad of that, papa," Mademoiselle de St.
Caux said; "it is only right the chief honor should
be with your son and not with this English boy.
He has had more than his share already, I think."
"You would not think so if he had saved your
life, sister," Jeanne broke in impetuously. "It was
very brave of them both to kill the wolf; but I
think it was ever, ever so much braver to attack a
great mad dog without weapons. Don't you think
so, papa 4"
"I don't think you should speak so warmly to
your elder sister, Jeanne," the marquis said; "she
is a grown-up young lady, and you are in the school-
room. Still, in answer to your question, I admit
that the first was ver}' much the braver deed. I
myself should have liked nothing better than to
stand before that great wolf with my hunting-sword
in my hand; but although if I had been near you
when the hound attacked you I should doubtless
have thrown myself before you, I should have been
horribly frightened and should certainly have been
killed; for I should never have thought of or carried
out so promptly the plan which Harry adopted of


40 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
muzzling the animal. But there is no need to
make comparisons. On the present occasion both
the lads have behaved with great bravery, and I am
proud that Ernest is one of the conquerors of the
demon wolf. It will start him in life with a
reputation already established for courage. Now,
come with me and have a look at the wolf. I don't
think such a beast was ever before seen in France.
I am going to have him stuffed and set up as a
trophy. He shall stand over the fireplace in the
hall, and long after we have all mouldered to dust
our descendants will point to it proudly, telling how
a lad of their race, with another his own age, slew
the demon wolf of Burgundy."
Ernest was confined to his bed for nearly a month,
and during this time Harry often went long rides
and walks by himself. In the evening the marquis
frequently talked with him over the situation of the
country, and compared the events which had taken
place with the struggle of the English parliament
with the king.
"There was one point of difference between the
two cases," he said one evening. "In England the
people had already great power in the state. The
parliament had always been a check upon the royal
authority; and it was because the king tried to over-
rule parliament that the trouble came about. Here


m THE REIQN OF TERROR.
our kings, or at least the ministers they appointed,
have always governed; often unwisely, I admit, but
is it likely that the mob would govern better? That
is the question. At present they seem bent on
showing their incapacity to govern even themselves."
The Marquis de St. Caux had, in some respects,
the thoughts and opinions of the old school. He
was a royalist pure and simple. As to politics, he
troubled his head little about them. These were a
matter for ministers. It was their business to find
a remedy for the general ills. As to the National
Assembly, which represented only the middle class
and people, he regarded it with contempt.
"Why, it was from the middle class," he said,
"that the oppressors of the people were drawn. It
is they who were farmers-general, collectors, and
officials of all kinds. It is they who ground down the
nation and enriched themselves with the spoil. It
is not the nobles who dirtied their hands with money
wrung from the poor. By all means let the middle
class have a share in the government; but it is not
a share they desire. The clergy are to have no
voice; the nobility are to have no voice; the king
himself is to be a cipher. All power is to be placed
in the hands of these men, the chosen of the scum
of the great towns, the mere mouthpieoes of the
ignorant mob. It is not order that these gentry are
organizing, it is disorder."


72
IIT TEE REIGN OF 7EIIR0B.
Such were the opinions of the marquis, but he
was tolerant of other views, and at the gatherings
at the chateau Harry heard opinions of all kinds
expressed.
During his rambles alone he entered as much as
he could into conversation with the peasants, with
woodcutters, foresters, and villagers. He found
that the distress which prevailed everywhere was
terrible. The people scarcely kept life together,
and many had died of absolute starvation. He
found a feeling of despair everywhere, and a dull
hatred of all who were above them in the world.
Harry had difficulty in making them talk, and at
first could obtain only sullen monosyllables. His
dress and appearance showed him to belong to the
hated classes, and set them against him at once;
but when he said that he was English, and that in
England people were watching with great interest
what was passing in France, they had no hesitation
in speaking.
Harry's motives in endeavoring to find out what
were the feelings of the people at large, were not
those of mere curiosity. He was now much attached
to the marquis and his family; and the reports
which came from all parts of France, as well as
from Paris, together with the talk among the
visitors at the chateau, convinced him that the state


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
?8
of affairs was more serious than the marquis was
inclined to admit. The capture of the Bastile and
the slaughter of its defenders—the massacres of
persons obnoxious to the mob, not only in the streets
of Paris but in those of other great towns, proved
that the lower class, if they once obtained the
upper hand, were ready to go all lengths; while the
number of the nobility who were flocking across
the frontier showed that among this body there
existed grievous apprehensions as to the future.
Harry had read in a book in the library of the
chateau an account of the frightful excesses perpe-
trated by the Jacquerie. That dreadful insurrection
had been crushed out by the armor-clad knights of
France; but who was to undertake the task should
such a flame again burst out? The nobles no longer
wore armor, they had no armed retainers; they
would be a mere handful among a multitude. The
army had already shown its sympathy with the
popular movement, and could not be relied upon.
That the marquis himself should face out any
danger which might come seemed to Harry right
and natural; but he thought that he was wrong not
to send his wife and daughters, and at an}T rate Jules,
across the Rhine until the dangers were passed.
But the marquis had no fears. Some one had
mentioned the Jacquerie in one of their conversa"


74
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
tions, but the marquis had put it aside as bein^
altogether apart from the question.
"The Jacquerie took place," he said, "hundreds
of years ago. The people then were serfs and little
more than savages. Can we imagine it possible
that at this day the people would be capable of such
excesses?"
The answer of the gentleman he addressed had
weighed little with the marquis, but Harry thought
over it seriously.
"Civilization has increased, marquis, since the
days of the Jacquerie, but the condition of the
people has improved but little. Even no w the feudal
usages are scarce, extinct. The lower class have
been regarded as animals rather than men; and the
increase of civilization which you speak of, and from
which they have received no benefit, makes them
hate even more bitterly than of old those in position
above them.
"I am a reformer; I desire to see sweeping
changes; I want a good, wise, and honest govern-
ment; and I desire these things because I fear that,
if they do not come peacefully, they will come in a
tempest of lawlessness and vengeance."
"Well, they are getting all they want," the mar-
quis said peevishly. "They are passing every law,
however absurd, that comes into their heads. No


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 1h
jtie is opposing them. They have got the reins in
their own hands. What on earth can they want
more? There might have been an excuse for rebel-
lion and riot two years since—there can be none
now. What say you abbe?"
The abbe seldom took part in conversations on
politics, but, being now appealed to, he said mildly:
"We must allow for human nature, monsieur.
The slave who finds himself free, with arms in his
hands, is not likely to settle down at once into a
peaceful citizen. Men's heads are turned with the
changes the last two years have brought about.
They are drunk with their own success, and who
can say where they will stop? So far they find no
benefit from the changes. Bread is as dear as ever,
men's pockets are as empty. They thought to
gain everything—they find they have got nothing;
and so they will cry for more and more change,
their fury will run higher and higher with each
disappointment, and who can say to what lengths
they will go? They have already confiscated the
property of the church, next will come that of the
laity."
"I had no idea you were such a prophet of evil,
abbe," the marquis said with an uneasy laugh, while
feelings of gloom and anxiety fell over the others
who heard the abbe's words.


?6 IN TBB REIGN OF TERROR.
"God forbid that I should be a prophet!" the
old man said gravely. "I hope and trust that I
am mistaken, and that He has not reserved this
terrible punishment for France. But you asked
me for my opinion, marquis, and I have given it to
you."
Despite these forebodings the winter of 1790
passed without disturbance at the chateau.
In the spring came news of disorder, pillage, and
acts of ruffianism in various parts. Chateaux and
convents were burned and destroyed, and people
refused to pay either their taxes or rents to their
landlords. In the south the popular excitement was
greater than in other parts. In Burgundy there
was for the most part tranquillity ; and the marquis,
who had always been regarded as an indulgent
seigneur by the people of his estate, still main-
tained that these troubles only occurred where the
proprietors had abused their privileges and ground
down the people.


IS TEE BE10N OF TERROR. 77
CHAPTEK IY.
THE CLOUDS GATHER.
Occasionally and at considerable intervals Harry
received letters from his father. The latter said
that there was great excitement in England over
the events which had taken place in France, and
that his mother was rendered extremely anxious by
the news of the attacks upon chateaux, and the
state of tumult and lawlessness which prevailed.
They thought he had better resign his situation and
return home.
Harry in his replies made light of the danger, and
said that after having been treated so kindly, it
would be most ungrateful of him to break the en-
gagement he had made for three years, and leave
his friends at the present moment. Indeed, he, like
all around him, was filled with the excitement of
the time. In spite of the almost universal confusion
and disorder, life went on quietly and calmly at the
chateau. The establishment was greatly reduced-
for few of the tenants paid their rents; but the ab-
sence of ceremonial brought the family closer to-


ft) lit THE RElGN OF TERROR.
gether, and the marquis and his wife agreed that
they had never spent a happier time than the spring
and summer of 1791.
The news of the failure of the king's attempt at
flight on the 20th of June was a great shock to the
marquis. "A king should never fly," he said;
"above all he should never make an abortive at-
tempt at flight. It is lamentable that he should be
so ill-advised."
At the end of September the elections to the
Legislative Assembly, as it was now to be called,
resulted in the return of men even more extreme
and violent than those whom they succeeded.
"We must go to Paris,"the marquis said one day
toward the end of October ; " the place for a French
nobleman now is beside the king."
"And that of his wife beside the queen," the mar-
quise said quietly.
"I cannot say no," the marquis replied. "I wish
you could have stayed with the children, but they
need fear no trouble here. Ernest is nearly seven-
teen, and may well begin, in my absence, to repre-
sent me. I think we can leave the chateau without
anxiety, bat even were it not so it would still be our
duty to go."
"There is another thing I want to speak to you
about before we start," the marquise said. "Jeanne


iy THE REIGN OF TERROR
79
is no longer a child, although we still regard her as
one; she is fifteen, and she is graver and more ear-
nest than most girls of her age. It seems ridiculous
to think of such a thing, but it is clear that she has
made this English lad her hero. Do you not think
it better that he should go? It would be unfor-
tunate in the extreme that she should get to have
any serious feelings for him."
"I have noticed it, too, Julie," the marquis said,
"and have smiled to myself to see how the girl lis-
tens gravely to all he says, but I am not disposed to
send him away. In the first place, he has done a
great deal of good to the boys, more even than I
had hoped for. Ernest now thinks and speaks for
himself, his ideas are broader, his views wider. He
was fitted before for the regime that has passed;
he is rapidly becoming fit to take his part in that
which is to come.
"In the next place, my dear, you must remember
the times have changed. Mademoiselle Jeanne de
St. Caux, daughter of a peer and noble of France,
was infinitely removed from the son of an English
doctor; but we seem to be approaching the end of
all things; and although so far the law for the
abolition of titles has been disregarded here, you
must prepare yourself to find that in Paris you will
be no longer addressed by your title, and I shall be


80
IN TEE REIGN OF TERROR.
Monsieur de St. Caux; or may be they will object
both to the de and the St., and I shall find myself
plain Monsieur Caux."
"Oh, Edouard !" the marquise exclaimed aghast.
"I am quite in earnest, my dear, I can assure you.
You will say she is still the heiress of a portion of
our estates, but who can say how long the estates
will remain after the title is gone? Just as the gen-
tlemen of the pave object to titles because they
have none themselves, so being penniless they will
object to property, and for aught I know may
decree a general division of lands and goods."
"Impossible, Edouard!"
"Not at all impossible, Julie. The beggars are
on horseback, and they intend to ride. Last week
I called in from my bankers all the cash at my dis-
posal, about five thousand louis, and to-morrow Du
Tillet is going to start for Holland. He will hand
it over to a banker there to forward to Dr. Sand-
with, to whom I have written asking him to under-
take the charge. If you will take my advice you
will forward at the same time all your jewelry. If
things go wrong it will keep us in our old age and
furnish a dot for our daughters.
"The jewels of the St. Caux have always been
considered as equal to those of any family in France,
and are certainly worth half a million francs even


IN TEE REIGN OF TERROR.
81
to sell. Keep a few small trinkets, and send all the
others away. But I have wandered from my sub-
ject. Under these circumstances I think it as well
that we should not interfere in the matter you speak
of. Personally one could not wish for a better
husband for one of our daughters than this young
Englishman would make.
"His father is a gentleman, and so is he, and in
such times as are coming I should be glad to know
that one of my girls had such a protector as he
would make her; but this is, as you said at first,
almost ridiculous. He is two years older than she
is, but in some respects she is the elder; he regards
her as a pretty child, and all his thoughts are given
to his studies and his sports.
"He has something of the English barbarian left
in him, and is absolutely indifferent to Jeanne's pref-
erence. A French lad at his age would be flat-
tered. This English boy does not notice it, or if he
notices it regards it as an exhibition of gratitude,
which he could well dispense with, for having saved
her life.
"You can leave them with a tranquil heart, my
dear. I will answer for it that never in his inmost
heart has the idea of his ever making love to Jeanne
occurred to this English lad. Lastly, I should be
sorry for him to leave because his good spirits and


82 m THE REIGN OF TERROR.
cheerfulness are invaluable at present. Ernest is
apt to be gloomy and depressed, and cheerfulness is
at a premium in France at present. Moreover,
should there be any difficulty or danger while we
are absent I trust very much to that lad's good sense
and courage. That incident of the dog showed how
quick he is to plan and how prompt to carry his
plans into effect. It may seem absurd when there
are several of our staunch and tried friends here to
rely in any way on a lad, but I do so. Not, of
course, as before our faithful friends, but as one
whose aid is not to be despised."
Thus it happened that on the same day that the
marquis started for Paris, M. du Tillet set out from
the chateau, taking with him some trunks and
packages which appeared but of little value and
were not likely to attract attention, but which con-
tained a considerable sum of money and the famous
St Oaux jewels.
Life at the chateau was dull after the departure
of its heads. They had few visitors now; the most
frequent among them being Victor de Gisons. The
estates of the duke, his father, adjoined those of the
marquis, and between him and Marie a marriage
had long before been arranged by their parents.
For once the inclination of the young people agreed
with the wishes of the elders, and they were warmly


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
83
attached to each other. No formal betrothal, how-
ever, had as yet taken place, the troubles of the
times having caused its postponement, although
formerly it had been understood that in the present
autumn the marriage should be celebrated.
The young count had at the assembly of the
states general been a prominent liberal, and had
been one of those who had taken his seat with the
third estate and had voted for the abolition of the
special privileges of the nobility, but the violence of
the Assembly had alarmed and disgusted him, and
in the winter he had left Paris and returned to his
father's estates.
Ernest and Harry studied with the abbe, and
fenced and rode as usual with M. du Tillet after his
return from Holland. The ever-darkening cloud
weighed upon their spirits, and yet life at the
chateau was pleasant. The absence of their parents
and the general feeling of anxiety knit the rest of
the family closer together. Much of the ceremonial
observance which had, on his first arrival, surprised
and amused Harry was now laid aside. Marie,
happy in the visits of her lover and at the prospect
of her approaching marriage, did her best to make
the house cheerful. Harry, who had not much liked
her at first, now found her most pleasant and agree-
able, and the younger girls walked in the grounds


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
with their brothers and chatted when they were
gathered in the evening just as Harry's sisters had
done at home. Jeanne was, if the group broke up,
generally Harry's companion. Ever since the affair
of the mad dog she had treated him as her special
friend, adopting all his opinions and falling in with
any suggestion he might make with a readiness
which caused Ernest one day to say laughingly to
Harry:
"One would think, Harry, that you were Jeanne's
elder brother, not I. She listens to you with a good
deal more deference than she does to me."
The winter came and went. From time to time
letters arrived from Paris, but the news was always
in the same strain. Things were going worse and
worse, the king was little more than a prisoner in
the hands of the people of Paris. The violence of
the Assembly was ever on the increase, the mob of
Paris were the real masters of the situation, the
greater part of the nobility had fled, and any who
appeared in the streets were liable to insult.
The feeling in the provinces kept pace with that
in Paris. Committees were formed in every town
and village and virtually superseded the constituted
authorities. Numbers of chateaux were burned, and
the peasants almost universally refused any longer
to pay the dues to their seigneurs. But at present


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 85
none dreamed of personal danger. The nobles who
emigrated did so because they found the situation
intolerable, and hoped that an army would be
shortly raised and set in motion by foreign powers
to put down the movement which constituted a
danger to kings, nobles, and property all over
Europe. But as yet there was nothing to fore-
shadow the terrible events which were to take place,
or to indicate that a movement which began in the
just demand of an oppressed people for justice and
fair treatment, would end in that people becoming a
bloodthirsty rabble, eager to destroy all who were
above them in birth, education, or intellect.
Therefore, although the Marquis de St. Caux fore-
saw the possibility of confiscation of the property
and abolition of all the privileges of the nobility, he
was under no uneasiness whatever as to the safety
of his children. His instructions were precise:
that if a small party of peasants attacked the
chateau, and it was evident that a successful resist-
ance could be made, M. du Tillet should send word
down to the mayor of Dijon and ask for help, and
should, with the servants of the chateau, defend it;
if it was attacked by a large mob, no resistance was
to be offered, but he was to abandon it at once and
journey to Paris with the children. But the time
went on without disturbance. In Dijon as else-


86
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
where a committee had been formed and had taken
into its hands the entire control of the management
of the town. At its head was the son of the mayor,
Monsieur Lebat.
"I do not understand that young fellow," M. du
Tillet said one day on his return from Dijon. "I do
not like him; he is ambitious and pushing, he is the
leader of the advanced party in Dijon, and is in
communication with the most violent spirits in Paris,
but I am bound to say that he appears most anxious
to be of service to the family. Whenever I see him
he assures me of his devotion to the marquis. To-
day, Mademoiselle Marie, he prayed me to assure
you that you need feel under no uneasiness, for that
he held the mob in his hand, and would answer for
it that no hostile movement should be made against
the chateau, and in fact I know, for I have taken
the precaution of buying the services of a man who
is upon the committee, that Lebat has actually
exerted himself to benefit us.
"It has several times been urged by the most
violent section that the mob should be incited to
attack the chateau, but he has each time success-
fully opposed the proposition. He has declared
that while no one is more hostile than himself to
the privileges of seigneury, and while he would
not only abolish the nobles as a class but confiscate


w the reign of terror, m
their possessions, he considers that in the case of the
marquis nothing should be done until a decree to
that effect is passed by the Assembly.
"Until that time, he argues, the people should
discriminate. The chateaux of tyrants should be
everywhere leveled to the ground, but it would be
unworthy of the people to take measures of venge-
ance against those who have not notably ground
down those dependent upon them, and that as the
marquis has not pushed the privilege of his class
to the utmost, his chateau and property should be
respected until the Assembly pass a decree upon the
subject."
"I am sure we are much indebted to this Monsieur
Lebat,'' Marie said. "He was here at the hunting
party and seemed a worthy young man of his class.
Of course he was out of place among us, but for a
man in his position he seemed tolerable."
"Yes," Monsieur du Tillet agreed, but in a some-
what doubtful tone of voice. "So far as assurances
go there is nothing to be desired, and he has, as I
Baid, so far acted loyally up to them, and yet some-
how I do not like him. It strikes me that he is
playing a game, although what that game is I can-
not say. At any rate I do not trust him; he speaks
smoothly, but I think he has a double face, and that
he is cruel and treacherous."


88 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
"That is not like you, Monsieur du Tillet," Marie
laughed, "you who generally have a good word for
every one. It seems to me that you are hard upon
the young man, who appears to be animated by ex-
cellent sentiments toward us."
Spring came again. M. du Tillet learned that
the mob of Dijon were becoming more and more
violent, and that spies and watchmen had been told
off to see that none of the family attempted to fly
for the frontier. He therefore wrote to th«
marquis urging that it would be better that the
family should move to Paris, where they would
be in no danger. In reply he received a letter
begging him to start as soon as the roads were fit
for travel.
About the same time Victor de Gisons received a
summons from his father to join him in Paris.
The messenger who brought the letter to M. du
Tillet brought one also for Marie from the mar-
quise, saying that the heads of both families were
of opinion that the marriage must be still further
postponed, as in the present state of affairs all
private plans and interests must be put aside in view
of the dangers that surrounded the king. Marie
acquiesced in the decision, and bade her lover adieu
calmly and bravely.
"They are quite right, Victor; I have felt for


m THE REIGN OF TERROR.
81
some time that when France was on the verge of a
precipice it was not the time for her nobles to be
marrying. Noblesse oblige. If we were two
peasants we might marry and be happy. As it is
we must wait, even though we know that waiting
may never come to an end. I have a conviction.
Victor, that our days of happiness are over, and
that terrible things are about to happen."
"But nothing that can happen can separate us,
Marie."
"Nothing but death, Victor," she said quietly.
"But surely, Marie, you take too gloomy a view.
Death, of course, may separate all lovers; but there
seems no reason that we should fear him now more
than at other times. A few farmers-general and
others who have made themselves obnoxious to
the mob have been killed, but what is that!
There should at least be no hostility to our order
Many of the nobles have been foremost in demand-
ing reforms. All have cheerfully resigned their
privileges. There is no longer the slightest reason
for hostility against us."
"My dear Victor," Marie said quietly, "you do
not ask a wild beast about to rend his prey what is
the reason for his actions. I hope I may be wrong;
but at least, dear, we shall see each other again
before long, and, whatever troubles may come, will


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
share them. My mother in her letter yesterday said
that she and the marquis had determined that we
should join them in Paris; for that although the
disorders have abated somewhat they are anxious at
the thought of our being alone here, and in the
present position of things they have no hope of
being able to leave the king. She says my father
is very indignant at the great emigration of the
nobility that is going on. In the first place, he
holds that they are deserting their post in the face
of the enemy; and in the second place, by their
assemblage across the frontier and their intrigues
at foreign courts against France they are causing
the people to look with suspicion upon the whole
class."
"You have kept your good news till the last,
Marie," Victor said. "Here have we been saying
good-by, and it seems that we are going to meet
again very shortly."
"I have been bidding farewell," Marie said, "not
to you, but to our dream of happiness. "We shall
meet soon, but I fear that will never return."
"You are a veritable prophet of ill to-day, Marie,"
Victor said with an attempt at gayety. "Some day,
I hope, dear, that we shall smile together over your
gloomy prognostication."
"I hope so, Victor—I pray God it may be so 1"


JW THE REIGN OF TERROR. 91
A week later three carriages arrived from Paris
to convey the family there; and upon the following
day the whole party started ; the girls, their gouver-
nante, the abbe, and some of the female servants
occupying the carriages, Monsieur du Tillet, the
boys, and several of the men riding beside them as
an escort.
They met with no interruption on the road, and
arrived in Paris on the last day of April, 1792.
Harry was glad at the change. The doings at
Paris had been the subject of conversation and
thought for nearly two years, and he had caught the
excitement which pervaded France. He was tired
of the somewhat monotonous life in the country,
and had for some time been secretly longing to be
at the center of interest, and to see for himself the
stirring events, of which little more than a feeble
echo had reached them at the chateau.
The change of life was great indeed; the marquis
had thrown himself into the thick of all that was
going on, and his salon was crowded every evening
with those of the nobility who still remained in
Paris. But he was regarded as by no means a man
of extreme views, and many of the leaders of the
party of the Gironde with whose names Harry was
familiar were also frequent visitors — Roland,
Vergniaud, Lanjuinais, Brissot, Guadet, Lebrun and
Condorcet.


92 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
Harry was struck with the variety of conversation
that went on at these meetings. Many of the
young nobles laughed and chatted with the ladies
with as much gayety as if the former state of things
were continuing undisturbed; and an equal in-
difference to the public state of things was shown
by many of the elders, who sat down and devoted
themselves to cards. Others gathered apart in
little groups and discussed gloomily and in low tones
the events of the day; while others who were more
liberal in their views gathered round the deputies of
the Gironde and joined in their talk upon the
meetings of the Assembly and the measures which
were necessary to consolidate the work of reform,
and to restore peace and happiness to France.
The marquis moved from group to group, equally
at home with all, chatting lightly with the courtiers,
whispering gravely with the elders, or discussing
with the tone of the man of the world the views and
opinions of the deputies. Victor de Gisons was
constantly at the house, and strove by his cheerful-
ness and gayety to dissipate the shade of melancholy
which still hung over Marie.
Toward the end of July the Marquis de St. Oaux
and the little body of royalists who still remained
faithful to the king became more and more anxious;
the position of the royal family was now most pre-


nr THE REIGN OF TERROR.
92
carious; most of the troops in Paris had been sent
to the frontier, and those left behind were disorgan-
ized and ready to join the mob. Two out of the
three Swiss battalions had been sent away, and but
one remained at the Tuileries. Of the National
Guard only the battalion of Filles St. Thomas and
part of the battalion of the Saints Peres could be
trusted to defend the king. The rest were opposed
to him, and would certainly join the populace.
On the 14th of July a large number of National
Guards from the provinces had arrived in Paris;
and the battalion from Marseilles, the most violent
of all, had, immediately that it arrived in the city,
come into collision with one of the loyal battalions.
The royalists were wholly without organization,
their sole aim being to defend the king should he be
in danger, and if necessary to die by his side.
On the evening before the 10th of August the
tocsin was heard to sound and the drums to beat to
arms. All day there had been sinister rumors
circulating, but the king had sent privately to his
friends that the danger was not imminent and that
he had no need of them; however, as soon as the
alarm sounded the marquis snatched up a sword and
prepared to start for the palace. He embraced his
wife, who was calm but very pale, and his children.
Ernest asked to be allowed to go with him, but the
marquis said; ,


94
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
"No, my son, my life is the king's; but yours at
present is due to your mother and sisters."
It was twenty-four hours before he returned. His
clothes were torn, his head was bound up, and one
of his arms disabled. The marquise gave a cry of
delight as he entered. No one had slept since he
left, for every hour fresh rumors of fighting had
arrived, and the sound of cannon and musketry had
been heard in the early part of the day.
"It is all over, wife!" he said. "We have done
our best, but the king will do nothing. We cannot
say we have lost the battle, for we have never tried
to win it; but it would be the same thing in the
long run."
Before hearing what had passed the marquise in-
sisted upon her husband taking refreshment and
having his wounds bound up and attended to. When
he had finished his meal the marquis began:
"We had a good deal of difficulty in getting into
the Tuileries, for the National Guard tried to
prevent our passing. However, we most of us got
through; and we found that there were about a
hundred assembled, almost all men of family. The
Marshal de Mailly led us into the king's apartment.
"' Sire,' he said, 'here are your faithful nobles,
eager to replace your majesty on the throne of your
ancestors.' The National Guard in the palace with,
drew at once, leaving us alone with the Swiss.


96 Of TSE RfilGN OF TERROR.
the throng around became more and more numerous.
The cannon they brought were turned against us.
The first door was burst open, the Swiss did not
fire, the populace poured in and mixed with us and
the soldiers. Some one fired a gun. Whether it
was one of the Swiss or one of the mob I know not,
but the fight began. The Swiss in good order
marched down the staircase, drove out the mob,
seized the cannon the Marseillais had brought, and
turning them upon their assailants opened fire. The
mob fled in terror, and I believe that one battalion
would have conquered all the scum of Paris had not
the king, at the sound of the first shot, sent word to
the Swiss to cease firing. They obeyed, and
although the mob kept firing upon them from the
windows, the great part of them marched calm, and
without returning a shot, to the Assembly, where,
at the order of the king, they laid down their
arms and were shut up in the church of the Feuil-
lants.
"A portion of the Swiss had remained on guard
in the Tuileries when the main body marched away.
The instant the palace was undefended the mob
burst in. Every Swiss was murdered, as well as
many of the servants of the queen. The mob
sacked the palace and set it on fire. When the
Swiss left we had one by one made our way out by


IN TEE REIGN OF TERROR.
97
a back entrance, but most of us were recognized by
the mob and were literally cut to pieces. I rushed
into a house when assaulted, and, slamming the
door behind me, made my way out by the back and
so escaped them, getting off with only these two
wounds; then I hurried to the house of a friend,
whom I had seen murdered before my eyes, but
his servants did not know of it, and they allowed
me to remain there till dark, and you see here
I am."
"But what has happened at the Assembly, and
where is the king?" the marquise asked, after the
first exclamation of horror at the tale they had
heard.
"The king and his family are prisoners in the
Temple," the marquis said. "The Commune has
triumphed over the Assembly, and a National Con-
vention is to be the supreme power. The king's
functions are suspended, but as he has not ruled for
the last three years that wil] make little difference.
A new ministry has been formed with Danton,
Lebrun, and some of the Girondists. He and his
family are handed over to the care of the Commune,
and their correspondence is to be intercepted. A
revolutionary tribunal has been constituted, when, I
suppose, the farce of trying men whose only crime
is loyalty to the king is to be carried out.


98
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
"We must be prepared, my love, to face the
worst. Escape is now impossible, and, indeed, so
long as the king and queen are alive I would not
quit Paris; but we must prepare for sending the
children away if possible."


W THE REIGN OF TERROR
CHAPTER V.
THE OUTBURST.
"Monsieur le marquis," M. du Tillet exclaimed,
hurrying into the salon, in which the marquis with
his family were sitting, on the evening of the 21st of
August, "I hear that it is rumored in the street that
all the members of noble families are to be arrested."
The room was lit up as if to receive company, but
the crowd which had thronged it a fortnight before
were gone. The Girondists had first withdrawn,
then the nobles had begun to fall off, for it had
become dangerous for them to show themselves in
the streets, where they were liable to be insulted and
attacked by the mob. Moreover, any meeting of
known Royalists was regarded with suspicion by the
authorities, and so gradually the gatherings had
become smaller and smaller.
The only constant visitor now was the Count de
Gisons, but he to-night was absent. The news was
not unexpected. The violence of the extremists of
the Mountain had been increasing daily. At the
Cordeliers and Jacobin clubs Dan ton, Robespierre,


100 Of TSS RfilGtf Of TERROR.
and Marat had thundered nightly their denunciations
against the aristocrats, and it was certain that at any
moment the order for their arrest might be given.
Such bad news had been received of the state of feel-
ing in the provinces, that it was felt that it would be
more dangerous to send the young ones away than
to retain them in Paris, and the marquise had been
a prey to the liveliest anxiety respecting her children.
It seemed impossible that there could be any
animosity against them, but the blind rage of the
mob had risen to such a height that it was impossible
to say what might happen. Now that she heard the
blow was about to fall she drew her younger girls
instinctively to her, as if to protect them, but no
word passed her lips.
"It might still be possible to fly," M. du Tillet
went on. "We have all the disguises in readi-
ness."
"A Marquis de St. Caux does not fly from the
ccmaille of Paris," the marquis said quietly. "No,
Du Tillet; the king and queen are in prison, and it
is not for their friends to leave their post here in
Paris because danger threatens them; come when
they may, these wretches will find us here ready
for them."
"But the children, Edouard!" the marquise mur-
mured.


161
"I shall stand by my father's side," Ernest said
firmly.
"I do not doubt your courage, my son. I wish
n«w that I had long ago sent you all across the
frontier; but who could have foreseen that the peo-
ple of France were about to become a horde of wild
beasts, animated by hate against all, old and young,
in whose veins ran noble blood. However, al-
though it is the duty of your mother and I to stay
at our posts, it is our duty also to try and save our
house from destruction; therefore, Du Tillet, I
commit my two sons to your charge. Save them if
you can, disguise them as you will, and make for
the frontier. Once there you know all the arrange-
ments we have already made."
"But, father," Ernest remonstrated.
"I can listen to no argument, Ernest," the mar-
quis said firmly. "In this respect my will is law.
I know what your feelings are, but you must set
them aside, they must give way to the necessity of
saving one of the oldest families of France from
perishing."
"And the girls?" the marquise asked, as Ernest
bent his head in sign of obedience to his father's
orders.
"I cannot think," the marquis said, "that they
will be included in the order for our arrest. They


102 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
must go, as arranged, in the morning to the house
of our old servant and remain quietly there await-
ing the course of events. They will pass very well
as three of her nieces who have arrived from the
country. You had better send a trusty servant to
prepare her for their coming. You, Harry, will, of
course, accompany my sons."
"Pardon, marquis," Harry said quietly, "I am
firmly resolved to stay in Paris. I may be of as-
sistance to your daughters, and there will be no
danger to me in remaining, for I have no noble
blood in my veins. Besides, my traveling with
M. du Tillet would add to his danger. He will
have difficulty enough in traversing the country
with two boys, a third would add to that
difficulty."
"I cannot help that," the marquis said. "1 ought
long ago to have sent you home, and feel that I
have acted wrongly in allowing you to remain so
long. I must insist upon your accompanying my
sons."
"I am sorry to disobey you, monsieur le marquis,"
Harry said quietly but firmly; "but from the
moment of your arrest I shall be my own master
and can dispose of my actions. I am deeply sensible
of all your goodness to me, but I cannot yield, for I
feel that I may be of some slight use here. There


104 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
After a prolonged talk with M. du Tillet the
marquis sent for Ernest. As soon as he entered the
lad said:
"Of course, sir, I shall obey your commands; but
it seems to me an unworthy part for your son to
play, to be flying the country and leaving a stranger
here to look after your daughters."
"He is hardly a stranger, Ernest," the marquis
replied. "He has been with us as one of the family
for two years, and he risked his life for your sisters.
You could not stay here without extreme risk, for
if your name is not already included in the warrant
for arrest it speedily will be so, and when they once
taste blood these wolves will hunt down every one
of us. He, on the other hand, might proceed openly
through the streets without danger; nevertheless, I
would not have kept him if he would have gone;
but I have no power of controlling him, and as he
chooses to devote himself to us I thankfully accept
his devotion.
"And now, my son, it may be that after our
parting to-morrow we shall not meet again, for God
alone knows what fate is in store for us. I have,
therefore, some serious advice to give you. If
anything happens to me, you will, I know, never
forget that you are the head of the family, and that
the honor of a great name is in your keeping; but


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
105
do not try to strive against the inevitable. Adapt
yourself to the new circumstances under which you
will be placed, and lay aside that pride which has had
much to do with the misfortunes which are now
befalling us.
"As to your sisters, Marie is already provided
for, that is if De Gisons is not included in the
order for arrest. I have already sent off a message
to him to warn him; and as it has already been ar-
ranged between us that while his father will stay
and face whatever will come, it is his duty, like
yours, to escape the danger which threatens our
class, I trust that he will at once endeavor to leave
the country; but I imagine that he will stop in
Paris until some means are devised for getting your
sisters away.
"As to the others, if you all reach England and
settle down there do not keep up the class distinc-
tions which have prevailed here. Marry your sis-
ters to men who will protect and make them happy.
That these must be gentlemen goes without saying;
but that is sufficient. For example, if in future
time a gentleman of the rank of our English friend
here, of whose character you can entirely approve,
asks for the hand of either of your younger sisters,
do not refuse it. Remember that such a suit would
have the cordial approval of your mother and
myself."


106
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
A look of great surprise passed over Ernest's face.
It had seemed to him so much a matter of course
that the ladies of his house should marry into noble
families that the idea of one of them being given to
a gentleman belonging to the professional class was
surprising indeed.
"Do you really mean, sir, that if my friend Harry
were some day to ask for Jeanne's hand you would
approve of the match?"
"That is exactly what I do mean, Ernest. In the
stormy times in which we are living I could wish no
better protector for her. Were he a Frenchman in
the same position of life, I own that I might view
the matter in a different light; but, as I have said,
in England the distinction of classes is much less
marked than here; and, moreover, in England there
is little fear of such an outbreak of democracy as
that which is destroying France."
A few minutes later Monsieur du Tillet entered
with the clothes which had been prepared for the
boys. They were such as would be worn by the
sons of workmen; he himself was attired in a blue
blouse and trousers. Jules was aroused from the
couch on which he had for the last hour been
asleep, and he and Ernest retired to dress them-
selves in their new costume, M. du Tillet accom-
panying them to assist in their toilet. Both boys


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 10?
had the greatest repugnance to the change, and ob-
jected still further when M. du Tillet insisted it was
absolutely necessary that they should cut their hair
and smear their faces and hands with dirt.
"My dear Monsieur Ernest," he said, "it would
be worse than useless for you to assume that attire
unless at the same time you assumed the bearing
and manners appropriate to it. In your own dress
we might for a short time walk the street without
observation; but if you sallied out in that blouse
with your white hands and your head thrown back,
and a look of disdain and disgust on your face, the
first gamin who met you would cry out: 'There is
an aristocrat in disguise!'
"You must behave as if you were acting in a
comedy. You are representing a lad of the lower
orders. You must try to imitate his walk and
manner. Shove your hands deep in your pockets,
shuffle your feet along carelessly, let your head roll
about as if it were uneasy on your neck, round your
shoulders, and slouch your head forward. As to
you, Jules, your role should be impertinence. Put
your cap on the wrong way; hold your nose in the
air; pull your short hair down over your forehead,
and let some of it spurt out through that hole in
your cap. To be quite correct, you ought to address
jeering remarks to every respectable man and


108 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
woman you meet in the streets; but as you know
nothing of Parisian slang, you must hold your
tongue. See how thoroughly I have got myself up.
You would take me for an idle out-of-elbows work-
man wherever you met me. I do not like it; but,
as I have to disguise myself, I try to do it
thoroughly."
It was, however, with a feeling of humiliation that
the boys presented themselves before the marquis.
He looked at them scrutinizingly.
"You will do, my boys," he said gravely. "I
should have passed you in the street without know-
ing you. Now come in with me and say good-by
to your mother and sisters. The sooner you are out
of this house the better, for there is no saying at
what hour the agents of this canaille may present
themselves."
The parting was a sad one indeed, but it was over
at last, and Monsieur du Tillet hurried the two boys
away as soon as their father returned with them.
"God bless you, Du Tillet!" the marquis said as
he embraced his friend. "Should aught happen to
us, you will, I know, be a father to them."
"Now, Harry," the marquis said when he had
mastered the emotion caused by the parting, which
he felt might be a final one, "since you have chosen
to throw in your lot with ours, I will give you a few


m TEE RE1QN OF TEftROlt. 109
instructions. In the first place, I have hidden
under a plank beneath my bed a bag containing a
thousand crowns. It is the middle plank. Count
an even number from each leg and the center one
covers the bag.
"You will find the plank is loose and that you can
raise it easily with a knife; but wax has been run
in, and dust swept over it, so that there is no fear of
its being noticed by any who may pillage the house,
which they will doubtless do after we are arrested.
I have already sent an equal sum to Louise Moulin.
Here is her address; but it is possible that you may
need money, and may be unable to communicate
with my daughters at her house; at any rate do you
keep the bag of money in your charge.
"You had best attire yourself at once in the old-
est suit of clothes you have got. My daughters will
be ready in a few minutes. They are already
dressed, so that they can slip out at the back
entrance. Should we be disturbed before morning
I shall place them under your escort; for although
I hope that all the servants are faithful, one can
answer for no one in these times. I would send
them off now, but that the sight of females moving
through the streets at this time of night would be
likely to attract attention on the part of drunken
men, or of fellows returning from these rascally


110
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
clubs, which are the center and focus of all the mis-
chief that is going on.
"I can give you no further advice. You must be
guided by circumstances. If, as I trust, the girls
can live undisturbed and unsuspected with their
mother's old nurse, it were best that they should
remain there until the troubles are finally over, and
France comes to her senses again. If not, I must
leave it to you to act for the best. It is a great
trust to place in the hands of a youth of your age;
but it is your own choosing, and we have every
confidence in you."
"I will do my best to deserve it, sir," Harry said
quietly; "but I trust that you and madame la mar-
quise will soon be able to resume your guardian-
ship. I cannot believe that although just at present
the populace are excited to fury by agitators, they
can in cold blood intend to wreak their vengeanoe
upon all the classes above them."
"I hope you may be right," the marquis said;
"but I fear that it is not so. The people are mad
so far. All that has been done has in no way
mitigated their sufferings, and they gladly follow
the preachings of the arch scoundrels of the Jacobin
Club. I fear that before all this is over France will
be deluged with blood. And now, when you have
changed your clothes lie down, ready to rise at a


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. Ill
moment's notice. Should you hear a tumult, run at
once to the long gallery. There my daughters will
join you, prepared for flight. Lead them instantly
to the back entrance, avoiding, if possible, any ob-
servation from the domestics. As these sleep on
the floor above, and know nothing of the dangers
which threaten us, they will not awake so quickly,
and I trust that you will be able to get out without
being seen by any of them. In that case, however
closely questioned, no one will be able to afford a
clue by which you can be traced."
When he had changed his clothes Harry extin-
guished all the lights in the salon, for the marquis
had long before ordered all the servants to retire to
rest. Then he opened the window looking into the
street and took his place close to it. Sleep under
the circumstances was impossible.
As the hours passed he thought over the events
of the last few days. He was fully aware that the
task he had undertaken might be full of danger;
but to a healthy and active English lad a spice of
danger is by no means a deterrent. He could, of
course, have left his employment before the family
left their chateau; but after his arrival in Paris it
would have been difficult for him to have traversed
the country and crossed the frontier, and he
thought that the danger which he now ran was not


112 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
much greater than would have been entailed by
such a step.
In the next place he was greatly attached to the
family of the marquis; and the orgies of the mob
had filled him with such horror and disgust that he
would have risked much to save any unfortunate,
even a stranger, from their hands; and lastly, he
felt the fascination of the wild excitement of the
times, and congratulated himself that he should see
and perhaps be an actor in the astonishing drama
which was occupying the attention of the whole
civilized world.
As he sat there he arranged his own plans. After
seeing his charge in safety he would take a room in
some quiet locality, alleging that he was the clerk
of a notary, and would, in the dress of one of that
class, or the attire of one of the lower orders, pass
his days in the streets, gathering every rumor and
watching the course of events.
Morning was just breaking when he heard the
sound of many feet coming along the street, and look-
ing out saw a crowd of men with torches, headed
by two whose red scarfs showed them to be officials.
As they reached the entrance gate the men at the
head of the procession stopped. Harry at once
darted away to the long gallery, and as he did so
heard a loud knocking at the door.


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
113
Scarcely had he reached the gallery when a door
at the further end opened, and three figures, the
tallest carrying a lamp, appeared. The girls, too,
had been keeping watch with their father and
mother. They were dressed in the attire of respecta-
ble peasant girls. Virginie was weeping loudly,
but the elder girls, although their cheeks bore traces
of the many tears they had shed during the
night, restrained them now. When they reached
Harry, the lad, without a word, took the lamp
from Marie's hand, and led the way along the
corridor and down the stairs toward the back of the
house.
Everything was quiet. The knocking, loud as it
was, had not yet aroused the servants, and, drawing
the bolt quietly, and blowing out the lamp, Harry
led the way into the garden behind the house.
Then for a moment he paused. There was a sound
of axes hewing down the gate which led from the
garden into the street behind.
"Quick, mesdemoiselles!" he said; "there is no
time to lose."
He took the key out of the door, and closed and
Jacked it after him. Then throwing the key among
the shrubs he took Virginie's hand and led the way
rapidly toward the gate, which was fortunately a
strong one.


114 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
"In here, mesdemoiselles," he said to Marie,
pointing to some shrubs close to the gate. "They
will rush straight to the house when the gate gives
way and we will slip out quietly."
For nearly five minutes the gate, which was
strongly bound with iron, resisted the attack upon
it. Then there was a crash, and a number of
men with torches, and armed with muskets and
pikes, poured in. Virginie was clinging to Marie,
who, whispering to her to be calm and brave,
pressed the child closely to her, while Jeanne stood
quiet and still by the side of Harry, looking through
the bushes.
Some twenty men entered, and a minute later
there was the sound of battering at the door through
which the fugitives had sallied out.
"Now," Harry said, " let us be going." Emerg-
ing from the shelter, a few steps took them to the
gate, and stepping over the door, which lay pros-
trate on the ground, they turned into the lane.
"Let us run." Harry said; "we must get out of
this lane as soon as possible. We are sure to have
the mob here before long, and should certainly be
questioned."
They hurried down the lane, took the first turn-
ing away from the house, and then slackened their
pace. Presently they heard a number of footsteps


m THE RKIGN OF TERROR. 115
clattering on the pavement; but fortunately they
reached another turning before the party came up.
They turned down and stood up in a doorway till
the footsteps had passed, and then resumed their
way.
"It is still too early for us to walk through the
streets without exciting attention," Harry said.
"We had better make down to the river and wait
there till the town is quite astir."
In ten minutes they reached the river, and Harry
found a seat for them at the foot of a pile of timber,
where they were partially screened from observa-
tion. Hitherto the girls had not spoken a word
since they had issued from the house. Virginie was
dazed and frightened by the events of the night, and
had hurried along almost mechanically holding
Marie's hand. Marie's brain was too full to talk;
her thoughts were with her father and mother and
with her absent lover. She wondered that he had
not come to her in spite of everything. Perhaps he
was already a captive; perhaps, in obedience to his
father's orders, he was in hiding, waiting events.
That he could, even had his father commanded him,
have left Paris as a fugitive without coming to
see her, did not even occur to her as possible.
With these thoughts there was mingled a vague
wonder at her own position. A few weeks since,


116
IN THE REIGN OF vEAdOH.
petted and cared for as the eldest daughter of one
of the noblest families of France, now a fugitive in
the streets under the sole care of this English boy.
She had, the evening before, silently sided with
Ernest. It had seemed to her wrong that he should
be sent away, and the assertion of Harry that he
intended to stay and watch over her and her sisters
seemed at once absurd and presumptuous; but she
already felt that she had been wrong in that
opinion.
The decision and coolness with which he had at
once taken the command from the moment he met
them in the gallery, and the quickness with which
he had seized the only mode of escape, had surprised
and dominated her. Her own impulse, when on
opening the door she heard the attack that was
being made on the gate, was to draw back instantly
and return to the side of her parents, and it was
due to Harry only that she and her sisters had got
safely away.
Hitherto, although after the incident of the mad
dog she had exchanged her former attitude of
absolute indifference to one of cordiality and
friendliness, she had regarded him as a boy. Indeed
she had treated and considered him as being very
much younger than Ernest, and in some respects
she had been justified in doing so, for in his light-


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
117
hearted fun, his love of active exercise, and his
entire absence of any assumption of age, he was far
more boyish that Ernest. But although her
thoughts were too busy now to permit her to
analyze her feelings, she knew that she had been
mistaken, and felt a strange confidence in this lad
who had so promptly and coolly assumed the entire
command of the party, and had piloted them with
such steady nerve through the danger.
As for Jeanne, she felt no surprise and but little
alarm. Her confidence in her protector was un-
bounded. Prompt and cool as he was himself, she
was ready on the instant to obey his orders, and felt
a certain sensation of pride at the manner in which
her previous confidence in him was being justified.
After placing the girls in their shelter Harry had
left them and stood leaning against the parapet of
the quay as if carelessly watching the water, but
maintaining a vigilant lookout against the approach
of danger. The number of passers-by increased
rapidly. The washerwomen came down to the
boats moored in the stream and began their opera-
tion of banging the linen with wooden beaters.
Marketwomen came along with baskets, the hum
and stir of life everywhere commenced, and Paris
was fairly awake.
Seeing that it was safe now to proceed, Harry re-


218
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
turned to his companions. He had scarcely glanced
at them before, and now looked approvingly at their
disguises, to which the marquise had, during the
long hours of the night, devoted the most zealous
attention. Marie had been made to look older than
she was. A few dark lines carefully traced on her
forehead, at the corners of her eyes and mouth, had
added many years to her appearance, and she could
have passed, except to the closest observer, as the
mother of Virginie, whose dress was calculated to
make her look even younger than she was. The
hands and faces of all three had been slightly tinged
with brown to give them a sunburnt aspect in ac-
cordance with their peasant dresses, and so com-
plete was the transformation that Harry could
scarcely suppress a start of surprise as he looked at
the group.
"It would be safe now, mademoiselle," he said
to Marie, " for us to proceed. There are plenty of
people about in the streets; but as the news has, no
doubt, already been spread that the daughters of
the Marquis de St. Caux had left the house before
those charged with their father's arrest arrived, it
will be better for you not to keep together. I
would suggest that you should walk on with Vir-
ginie. I will follow with Jeanne a hundred yards
behind, so that I can keep you in sight, and will
come up if any one should accost you,"


IN THE REIGN OP TERROR.
Ill
Marie at once rose, and taking the child's hand
set out. They had to traverse the greater part of
Paris to reach their destination. It was a trial for
Marie, who had never before been in the streets of
Paris except with her mother and closely followed
by two domestics, and even then only through the
quiet streets of a fashionable quarter. However,
she went steadily forward, tightly holding Virginie's
hand and trying to walk as if accustomed to them
in the thick heavy shoes which felt so strangely dif-
ferent to those which she was in the habit of
wearing.
From time to time she addressed an encouraging
word to Virginie as she felt her shrink as they ap-
proached groups of men lounging outside the wine-
shops, for there was but little work done in Paris,
and the men of the lower class spent their time in
idleness, in discussions of the events of the day, or in
joining the mobs which, under one pretext or
another, kept the streets in an uproar. ,
Fortunately Marie knew the way perfectly, and
there was no occasion for her to ask for directions,
for she had frequently driven with her mother to
visit Louise Moulin. The latter occupied the upper
floor of a house in a quiet quarter near the fortifica-
tions in the northwestern part of the town. A mes-
sage had been sent to her the night before, and she


120 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
was cm the lookout for her visitors, but she did not
recognize them, and she uttered a cry of surprise as
Marie and Virginie entered the room.
"Is it you, mademoiselle?" she exclaimed in great
,wrprise; "and you, my little angel? My eyes must
be getting old, indeed, that I did not recognize
you; but you are finely disguised. But where is
Mademoiselle Jeanne?"
"She will be here in a moment, Louise; she is
just behind. But you must not call me made-
moiselle; you must remember that we are your
nieces Marie and Jeanne, and that you are our
aunt Louise Moulin, whom we have come to stay
with."
"I shall remember in time," the old woman said.
"I have been talking about you to my neighbors for
the last week, of how your good father and mother
have died, and how you were going to journey to
Paris under the charge of a neighbor, who was
bringing a wagon load of wine from Burgundy, and
how you were going to look after me and help me
in the house since I am getting old and infirm, and
the young ones were to stop with me till they were
old enough to go out to service. Ah, here is
Mademoiselle Jeanne!"
"Here is Jeanne," Marie corrected; "thank God
we have all got here safely. This, Louise, is a


tN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
121
young English gentleman who is going to remain
in Paris at present, and to whom we are indebted
for having got us safely here."
"And your mother," Louise Moulin exclaimed,
"the darling lamb I nursed, what of her and your
father? I fear, from the message I got last night,
that some danger threatens them."
"They have, I fear, been arrested by the sans
culottes," Marie said mournfully as she burst into
tears, feeling, now that the strain was over, the
natural reaction after her efforts to be calm. For
her mother's sake she had held up to the last, and
had tried to make the parting as easy as possible.
"The wretches!" the old woman said, stamping
her foot. "Old as I am I feel that I could tear
them to pieces. But there I am chattering away,
and you must be faint with hunger. I have a nice
soup ready on the fire; a plate of that will do good
to you all. And you too, monsieur; you will join
us, I hope?"
Harry was nothing loth, for his appetite was
always a healthy one. When he had finished he
said:
"Madame Moulin, I have been thinking that it
would be an advantage if you would take a lodging
for me. If you would say that a youth whose
friends are known to you has arrived from Dijon, to


122 IN THE REIGN 09 TERROR.
make his way in Paris, and they have asked you to
seek a lodging for him, it will seem less strange
than if I went by myself. I should like it to be
near, so that you can come to me quickly should
anything out of the way occur. I should like to
look in sometimes to see that all is well. You
could mention to your neighbors that I traveled up
with the same wagon with your nieces."
"I will do that willingly," the old woman said;
"but first, my dears, you must have some rest;
come in here." And she led the way to the next
room. "There is a bed for you, Mademoiselle
Marie, and one for the two young ones. The room
is not like what you are accustomed to, but I dared
not buy finer things, though I had plenty of money
from your mother to have furnished the rooms like
a palace; but you see it would have seemed strange
to my neighbors; but, at least, everything is clean
and sweet."
( Leaving the girls, who were worn out with weari-
ness and anxiety, to sleep, she rejoined Harry.
"Now, monsieur, I will do your business. It is a
comfort to me to feel that some one will be near of
whom I can ask advice, for it is a terrible responsi-
bility for an old woman in such dreadful times
as these, when it seems to me that every one has
gone mad at once. What sort of a chamber do you
want?"'


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 123
"Quite a small one," Harry answered, "just such
a chamber as a young clerk on the lookout for em-
ployment and with his pocket very slenderly lined
would desire."
"I know just such a one," the old woman said.
"It is a house a few doors away and has been ten-
anted by a friend of mine, a young workwoman,
who was married four days ago—it is a quiet place,
and the people keep themselves to themselves, and
do not trouble about their neighbors' affairs."
"That will just suit me," Harry said. "I suppose
there is no porter below, so that I can go in or out
without being noticed."
"Oh, we have no porters in this quarter, and you
can go in and out as you like."
Half an hour later the matter was settled, and
Harry was installed in his apartment, which was a
little room scantily furnished, at the top of the
house, the window looking into the street in front.


124 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
CHAPTER VL
AN ANXIOUS TIME.
Haeet and the girls had brought bundles of
clothes with them in their flight, as it would have
looked strange had they arrived without any clothes
save those they wore. Harry had brought with
him only underlinen, as he had nothing else which
would be of service to him now. No sooner had
Louise Moulin left him than he went out and pur-
chased, at a second-hand shop, a workman's suit.
This he carried home, and dressing himself in it
descended the stairs again and set out to retrace his
steps across Paris.
When he reached the mansion of the marquis he
found a crowd of people going in and out. Those
leaving the house were laden with articles of furni-
ture, clocks, pictures, bedding, and other things. A
complete sack of the mansion was indeed taking
place. The servants had all fled after the arrest of
the marquis and his wife, and the mob had taken
possession of the house. The lofty mirrors were
smashed into fragments, the costly hangings torn


m THE REIGN OF TERROR.
125
down, and after they had destroyed much of the
elaborate furniture, every man and woman began
to lay hands upon whatever they fancied, and the
mansion was already stripped of the greater part of
its belongings.
With his hands in his pockets, whistling care-
lessly, Harry wandered from room to room watch-
ing the proceedings. Several barrels of wine had
been brought up into the salon, and round these
were gathered a number of already drunken men,
singing, shouting and dancing.
"Drink, drink, my garcon," a woman said, hold-
ing a silver goblet full of wine toward him, "drink
confusion to the tyrants and liberty and freedom to
the people."
Harry drank the toast without hesitation, and
then, heartsick at the destruction and ruin, wandered
out again into the streets. Knowing the anxiety
which Marie would be suffering as to the safety of
her lover he next took his way to the mansion of
the Duke de Gisons. The house was shut up, but
groups of men were standing in the road opposite
talking.
Sauntering along Harry stopped near enough to
one of these to hear what they were saying. He
learned that the duke had been arrested only that
morning. It had been effected quietly, the doors


126
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
had again been locked before those in the neighbor-
hood knew what was going on, and a guard had
been left inside, partly, it was said, in order that the
mansion might be preserved from pillage and be
used for 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
neighborhood of Fontainebleau he thought it proba-
ble that Victor might have gone thither, and he at
once proceeded toward the gate by which he would
enter on his return thence. He sat down a short
distance outside the gate and watched patiently for
some hours until he perceived a horseman approach-
ing at a gallop, and at once recognized Victor de
Gisons. Harry went forward on to the road and
held out his arms. The young count, not recogniz-
ing him, did not check his horse, and would have
ridden him down had he not jumped aside, at the
same time 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 are you in this disguise,
Monsieur Sandwith.


ffl TSE REIGN OF TERROR. 127
"A great number of arrests have taken place in
the night, among them that of the Marquis de St.
Caux and your father. Men are waiting inside 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 no doubt received a warning of
what was about to happen, and yesterday at noon
he requested me to ride to his estate and have an
interview with the steward as to the rents. I won-
dered at his sending me so suddenly, and, feeling
uneasy, rode there post-haste, saw the steward last
night, and started again on a fresh horse this morn-
ing. This accounts for it. He knew that if I were
there nothing would have induced me to separate
myself from him, while by sending me away he left
it to me to do as I thought fit afterward, trusting
that when I found that he was already imprisoned
I might follow the counsel he had urged upon me,
to make my escape from the country. And how
about the ladies, how about Marie V
"The marquise was conveyed to prison with the
marquis. The three young ladies are all safe with
their mother's old servant, Louise Moulin; this is
her address. They are in disguise as peasants, and
no suspicion will, I hope, arise as to their real posi-
tion. Not that the marquis thought it probable


128
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
they would be included in the order of arrest, but
he said there was no knowing now to what lengths
the mob might go, and he thought it better that they
should disappear altogether for the present. Ernest
and Jules went away in disguise with Monsieur
du Tillet. After seeing the young ladies in safety
this morning I went down to see what had happened
at your father's mansion, in order to assuage Mad-
emoiselle de St. Caux's anxiety respecting your
safety, and found, as I expected, that the duke had
been arrested, and learned that a party were inside
waiting to arrest you on your return."
"I thank you indeed," Victor said, "and most
warmly. I do not know what to do. My father is
most anxious that I should cross the frontier, 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 to be arrested. Your only chance would
be to do as I have done, namely to disguise yourself
and take a small lodging, where you might live
unsuspected,"
"And in that way I can see Marie sometimes,"
Victor said.
"You could do so," Harry agreed, in a somewhat
hesitating way, " but it would greatly add to her
danger, and, were you detected, might lead to the
discovery of her disguise. Besides, the thought that


uer the reign of terror.
129
yon were liable to arrest at any time would naturally
heighten the anxiety from which she is suffering as
to the fate of her father and mother."
"But I cannot and will not run away and leave
them all here in danger," Victor said passionately.
"I would not advise you to do so," Harry replied.
"I would only suggest, that after seeing Mademoi-
selle de St. Caux once, you should lead her to believe
that you have decided upon making for the frontier,
and she will therefore have the happiness of believing
that you are safe, while you are still near and
watching over her."
"That is all very well," Victor said; "but what
opinion would she have of me if she thought me
capable of deserting her in that way?"
"You would represent that you were obeying the
duke's orders; and besides, if you did suffer in her
opinion it would be but temporarily, for when she
learned the truth, that you had only pretended to
leave in order that her position might be the safer
and that her mind might be relieved, she could only
think more highly of you. Besides, if necessary,
you could at any time again present yourself before
her."
"Your counsel is good, Monsieur Sandwith, and
I will, at any rate for a time, follow it.. As you
say, I can at any time reappear. Where are you


130 IN THE BEIGN OF TERROR.
lodging? I will take a room near, and we can meet
and compare notes and act together."
Harry gave him his address.
"You have only to walk upstairs to the top
story. My room is the one directly opposite the
top of the stairs."
"I will call on you to-morrow morning," Victor
said. "I will ride my 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 look strange in the extreme for a
gentleman dressed as you are to make such a pur-
chase. You might be at once arrested, or a report
of the circumstance 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 you the things
you want at the first shop I come to and bring them
out to 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 as the clothes you
are now wearing, most carefully. Whoever finds
your horse will probably appropriate it and will say
nothing about it, so that all clue to your movements
will be lost, and it will be supposed that you have
ridden to the frontier."
"Pesie, Monsieur Sandwith! you seem to have a


In ma reign of terror.
131
head ready for all emergencies. I know what a
high opinion the marquis had of you, and I perceive
that it is fully justified, and consider myself as for-
tunate indeed in having you for a friend in such a
time as the present."
"We have need of all our wits," Harry said
quietly. "The marquis was good enough to accept
my offer to do all that I could to look after the
safety of mesdemoiselles, and if I fail in my trust
it will not, I hope, be from any lack of care or
courage."
The meeting had taken place at a point where it
could not be observed from the gate, and the count
withdrew a few hundred yards further away while
Harry went back into Paris. The latter had no
difficulty in purchasing the clothes required by the
count and returned with them in little over a
quarter of an hour, and then, having seen De Gisons
ride off, he sauntered back into Paris and made his
way toward the heart of the city.
Crossing the river he found a vast crowd gath-
ered in front of the Hotel de Ville. The news of the
wholesale arrests which had been made during the
night had filled the populace with joy, and the air
was full of shouts of "Down with the Aristocrats!"
"Vive Danton! Vive Marat! Vive Robespierre!"
Hawkers were selling, in the crowd, newspapers


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
133
light was to be seen in the windows and all was
still and quiet. The great door stood open. The
work of destruction was complete, the house was
stripped of everything that could be carried away.
Harry made his way up to the bedroom of the
marquis. The massive bedstead still stood in its
place, having defied the efforts of destruction which
had proved successful with the cabinets and other
furniture. Sitting down on the floor Harry counted
the boards beneath the bed, and then taking out a
strong knife which he had purchased during the day
he inserted it by the side of the middle board and
tried to raise it. It yielded without difficulty to his
effort.
As soon as it was lifted he groped in the cavity
below it, and his hand soon came in contact with
the heavy bag. Taking this out and putting it
beneath his blouse he replaced the board and made
his way downstairs. He felt too fatigued to walk
across Paris again, and therefore made his way
down to the river and curled himself up for the
night at the foot of the wood pile where the girls
had found shelter in the morning, and, in spite of
the novelty of his situation, fell instantly asleep.
It was broad daylight when he woke, and an hour
later he regained his lodgings, stopping by the way
to breakfast at a quiet restaurant frequented by the


134
m VSE RtilGN OF TERROR.
better class of workmen. As when he had sallied
out the day before, he was fortunate in meeting no
one as he made his way up the stairs to his room.
His first step was to get up a board and to
deposit beneath it the bag of money. Then, having
changed his clothes, he went out and made a variety
of purchases for housekeeping, as he did not wish to
be obliged to take his meals at places where any
one sitting at the table with him might enter into
conversation.
His French was quite good enough to pass in the
salon of the marquis, but his ignorance of th6
Parisian slang spoken among the working classes
would have rendered it difficult for him to keep up
his assumed character among them, and would have
needed the fabrication of all sorts of stories as to his
birthplace and past history. Although in the posi-
tion in which he was placed Harry felt that it would
be impossible always to adhere to the truth, he
shrank from any falsehoods that could possibly be
avoided.
His first duty in order to carry out the task he
had undertaken was to keep up his disguise, and
this must be done even at the cost of telling lies as
to his antecedents; but he was determined that he
would avoid this upleasant necessity as far as lay in
his power.


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 135
At nine o'clock lie made his way to the apart-
ments of Louise Moulin. His entry was received
with a cry of satisfaction from the girls.
"What is the news, Harrv?" Jeanne exclaimed.
"We expected you here yesterday evening, and sat
up till ten o'clock."
"I was over the other side of the river discharg-
ing a mission your father 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, made-
moiselle. I was sorry afterward that I did not tell
you when I left you that I should not be able to
come in the evening, but indeed I did not think of
it at the time."
"And now for your news, Harry," Jeanne asked
impatiently; "have you 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, Made-
moiselle Marie. After going first to the house and


136
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
finding it in the possession of a hideous mob, who
were plundering and drinking, I went to see what
had taken place at the hotel of the Duc de Gisons.
I found that he had, like your father, been arrested
in the night. I learned that the count was absent,
and that a party were inside in readiness to arrest
him on his return. Thinking it probable that he
might have gone down to their estate near Fontaine-
bleau, I went out beyond the gate on that road and
waited for him. I had the good fortune to meet
him, to warn him of his danger, and to prevent his
returning to the town. He rode away with a suit
of workman's clothes I had procured for him, and
was to enter Paris in that disguise in the evening.
He is to call on me at ten o'clock, and I will then
conduct him hither. I thought it best to come in
before to let you know that he was coming."
Marie burst into tears of happiness at hearing
that her lover had escaped from the danger which
threatened. "Worn out by the fatigue and anxiety
of the previous night, she had slept for some hours
after reaching the shelter of the old nurse's roof,
but she had lain awake all night thinking over the
danger of all those dear to her. She was now com-
pletely overcome with the revulsion of feeling.
"You are a dear boy, Harry!" Jeanne said with
frank admiration, while Marie sobbed out exclama-


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
tions of gratitude. "You. do seem to think about
everything; and now Marie knows that Victor is
safe, I do hope she is going to be more like herself.
As I tell her, they cannot hurt father or mother.
They have done no wrong, and they must let them
out of prison after a time. Mamma said we were
to be brave; and at any rate I try to be, and so does
Virginie, though she does cry sometimes. And now
I hope Marie will be cheerful too, and not go about
the rooms looking so downcast and wretched. It
seems to me a miserable thing being in love. I
should have thought Marie would have been the
last person to be downcast, for no one is prouder of
being a St. Caux than she is."
"I shall be better now, Jeanne," Marie said smil-
ing, as she wiped away her tears. "You shall not
have any reason to complain of me in future."
"But do you not think, Harry," she went on
with a return of her anxiety, "that it is very dan-
gerous for Victor to come back into Paris? I know
that his father has long been praying him to make
for the frontier."
"I do not think it is very dangerous at present,
mademoiselle, although it may be later, if this rage
against the aristocrats increases; but I hope that
when he has once seen you, which is his principal
object in returning to Paris, he will carry out his


138
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
father's wishes and make for the frontier, for his
presence here can be of no possible utility."
"Oh, I hope so," Marie said, "for I am sure
Victor would soon be found out, he could never
make himself look like one of these canaille."
""Why shouldn't he?" Jeanne said indignantly.
"Harry does, and he is 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 quite right. Clothes, after all, do go a
long way toward making a man. Still, although I
think that it is dangerous for Harry, I think it will
be more dangerous for Victor; because, you see,
he is a man and he has the manner of his race, and
would find it more difficult to pass himself off as a
workman than Harry, who has got something of
English "—and she hesitated.
"Eoughness," Harry put in, laughing. "You
are quite right, mademoiselle. I can assure you
that with these thick shoes on I find it quite
natural for me to slouch along as the workmen do;
and it will be much more difficult for the count,
who always walks with his head thrown back,
and a sort of air of looking down upon mankind in
general."
Marie laughed this time.


IN TSK MEIGN OF TSRROR. 139
"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's wishes, he will have
to give way to mine."
"I think, mademoiselle, that it would be wiser
for Monsieur de Gisons to meet you elsewhere than
here. The arrival of three relations to stop with
Madame Moulin is sure to attract some little atten-
tion among her neighbors just at first. You will
be the subject of talk and gossip. My visit will no
doubt be noticed, and it will be as well that there
should not be more material for talk. The less we
attract attention the better. No doubt many have
escaped arrest, and there will be a sharp lookout
for, as they will call us, suspicious persons. I should
propose, if you have no objection to such a course,
that you should stroll out with your sisters and
Louise through the fields to St. Denis. The count
will be in my room in a few minutes. We can
keep a lookout from my window and follow you
at a distance until we get clear from observation
beyond the gates."
Marie looked at Madame Moulin, who nodded.
"That would be the best plan, my dear. What
Monsieur Sandwith says is very true. The less we
give the neighbors to gossip about the better; for
though your disguises are good, if sharp eyes are


140
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
watching you they may note something in your walk
or air that may excite suspicion."
"That being arranged then you must excuse me,
for it is just the time when the count was to arrive,
and I fancy that he will be before rather than
behind time."
Indeed, upon reaching the door of his room Harry
found the young count standing there.
"Oh, it is you, friend Harry! 1 have been here
ten minutes, and I began to be afraid that something
might have happened to you and to 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 the other 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. I suppose 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, if you don't mind, when alone as at
other times, otherwise the title might slip out
accidentally. "Will you, on your part, call me
Henri? As you know the marquis and his family


142
tN THE REIQlf OF TERROR.
They waited three or four minutes to allow the
others to get well ahead and then started out after
them; they walked fast until they caught sight of
the others, and then kept some distance behind
until the party had left the town and were out
among the fields which lay between Paris and St.
Denis. They then quickened their pace and were
soon up with them.
The greeting between the lovers was a silent one,
few words were spoken, but their faces expressed
their joy at meeting again after the 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 with her knitting;
you, Victor, can ramble on with mademoiselle by
that path through the field; we will agree to meet
here again in an hour."
This arrangement was carried out; Jeanne and
Virginie really enjoyed their walk; the latter
thought their disguise was great fun, and, being
naturally a little mimic, imitated so well the walk
and manner of the country children she had seen in
her walks near the chateau that her sister and
Harry were greatly amused.
"1 like this too, Harry," Jeanne said. "It would


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
143
not be nice to be a peasant girl for many things; but
it must be joyful to be able to walk, and run, and
do just as you please, without having a gouvernante
always with you to say, Hold up your head,
Mademoiselle Jeanne; Do not swing your arms
Mademoiselle Jeanne; Please walk more sedately,
Mademoiselle Jeanne. Oh, it was hateful! Now
we might 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 while any one is
near."
"I like Harry best," Jeanne said; "but, of
course, I should not say it before the people; but
may we run just for once?"
"Certainly you may," Harry laughed; "you and
Virginie can have a race to the corner of that wall."
"Come on, Virginie," Jeanne cried as she started,
and the two girls ran at full speed to the wall;
Jeanne, however, completely distancing her younger
sister. They were both laughing when Harry
came up.
"That is the first time I have run a race," Jeanne
said. "I have often wanted to try how fast I could
run, but I have never ventured to ask mademoi-
selle; she would have been horrified; but I don't
know how it is Virginie does not run faster."


144
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
"Virginie has more flesh," Harry said, smiling.
"She carries weight, as we should say in England,
while you ha ve nothing to spare."
"And she is three years older," Virginie put in.
"Jeanne is just sixteen, and I am not thirteen yet;
it makes a difference."
"A great deal of difference," Harry agreed;
"but I don't think you will ever run as fast as she
does. That will not matter, you know," he went
on, as Virginie looked a little disappointed, " be-
cause it is not likely that you will ever race again;
but Jeanne looks cut out for a runner—just the
build, you see—tall, and slim, and active."
"Yes," Virginie agreed frankly, "Jeanne has
walked ever so far and never gets tired, while I get
dreadfully tired; mamma says sometimes I am
quite a baby for my age."
"Here are some people coming," Harry said;
"as we pass them please talk 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, and when talking
among themselves often used the expressions current
among the peasantry, and they now dropped into
this talk, which Harry had also acquired, as they
passed a group of people coming in from St. Denis.


14G
IN THE REIGN OP TERROR.
"I am sure it is better so," Harry said. a She
will have anxiety enough to bear as to her father
and mother; it is well that her mind should be at
ease concerning you."
"In reality," Victor said, "I shall be safer here
than I should be journeying toward the frontier.
The papers this morning say that in consequence of
the escape of suspected persons, and of the emigra-
tion of the nobles to join the enemies of France, or-
ders have been sent that the strictest scrutiny is to
be exercised on the roads leading to the frontier,
over all strangers who may pass through. All who
cannot give a perfectly satisfactory account of
themselves and produce their papers en regie, are to
be arrested and sent to Paris. Therefore, my chance
of getting through would be small indeed, whereas
while remaining in Paris there can be little fear of
detection."
"Not much risk, I hope," Harry agreed; u but
there is no saying what stringent steps they may
take as time goes on."
Victor had taken a lodging a few houses from
that of Harry. Every day the excitement in Paris
increased, every day there were fresh arrests, until
all the prisons became crowded to overflowing. It
was late in August; the Prussians were advancing
and had laid siege to Verdun, and terror was added


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
147
to the emotions which excited to madness the popu-
lation of Paris. Black flags were hung from the
steeples, and Danton and his allies skillfully used
the fear inspired by the foreign enemy to add to
the general hatred of the Royalists.
""We Republicans," he said in the rostrum of the
Assembly, " are exposed to two parties, that of the
enemy without, that of the Royalists within. There
is a Royalist directory which sits secretly at Paris
and corresponds with the Prussian army. To frus-
trate it we must terrify the Royalists."
The Assembly decreed death against all who
directly or indirectly refused to execute or hindered
the orders given by the executive power. Rumors
of conspiracy agitated Paris and struck alarm into
people's minds, while those who had friends within
the prison walls became more and more alarmed for
their safety.
On the 28th of August orders were issued that all
the inhabitants of Paris were to stay in their houses
in order that a visit might be made by the delegates
of the Commune to search for arms, of which Dan-
ton had declared there were eighty thousand hidden
in Paris, and to search for suspected persons. As
soon as the order was issued Harry and Victor
went to their lodgings, and telling their landlords
that they had obtained work at the other end of the


148 Z2T THE REIGN OF TERROR.
town, paid their rent and left the city, and for the
next two days slept in the woods.
They passed most of their time discussing pro-
jects for enabling their friends to escape, for from
the stringency of the steps taken, and the violence
of the Commune, they could no longer indulge in
the hopes that in a short time the prisoners against
whom no serious charge could be brought would
be released. At the same time they could hardly
persuade themselves that even such men as those
who now held the supreme power in their hands
could intend to take extreme measures against so
vast a number of prisoners as were now in custody.
Victor and Harry knew that their friends had at
first been taken to the prison of Bicetre, but whether
they were still confined there they were of course
ignorant. Still there was no reason to suppose that
they had been transferred to any of the other jails.
The Bicetre was, they had discovered, so strongly
guarded that neither force nor stratagem seemed
available. The jailers were the creatures of Danton
and Robespierre, and any attempt to bribe them
would have been dangerous in the extreme. Victor
proposed that, as he as well as Harry was well pro-
vided with funds, for he had brought to Paris all the
money which the steward of the estates had col-
lected, they should recruit a band among the ruffians


m THE REIGN OF TERROR.
149
of the city, and make a sudden attack upon the
prison. But Harry pointed out that a numerous
band would be required for such an enterprise, and
that among so many men one would be sure to turn
traitor before the time came.
"I am ready to run all risks, Victor, but I see no
chance of success in it. The very first man we
spoke to might denounce us, and if we were seized
there would be no one to look after the safety of
Mademoiselle de St. Caux and her sisters. My first
duty is toward them. I gave my promise to their
father, and although it is not probable that I can be
of any use to them, I will at any rate, if possible, be
at hand should occasion arise."
On the evening of the 30th they returned to
Paris, and took two fresh apartments at a distance
from their former quarters.
They were greatly anxious as to the safety of the
girls, and Harry at once hastened there, but found
that all was well. The deputies, learning from the
landlord that only an old woman and her nieces in-
habited the upper story, and having a heavy task
before them, had only paid a short visit to the room,
and had left after asking Louise one or two ques-
tions.
The girls, however, were in a state of terrible
anxiety as to their parents, although Louise had


150 TN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
avoided repeating to them the sinister rumors which
came to her ears when she was abroad doing her
marketing, for she now went out alone, thinking it
better that the girls should appear as little as
possible in the streets.
"It is terrible," Marie said. "I think night and
day of our father and mother. Can nothing be
done? Surely we might devise some means for
their escape."
"I can think of nothing," Harry said. "The
prison is too strong to be taken without a consider-
able force, and it would be impossible to get that
together." ,
"Could we not bribe these wretches?"
"I have thought over that too," Harry replied;
"but, you see, it would be necessary to get several
men to work together. One might, perhaps, bribe
the man who has charge of the cell, but there would
be other warders, and the guard at the gate, and the
latter are changed 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 or Robespierre and plead with them for
their lives? I would do that willingly if you
think there would be the slightest chance of
success."
"It would be like a lamb going to plead with


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
151
a wolf. You would only attract attention to
them."
"Could you not get hold of one of these wretches
and force him to sign an order for their release?"
Jeanne suggested.
"Eh!" Harry exclaimed in surprise. "Jeanne,
you have the best head of us all. That idea never
occurred to me. Yes, that might be possible. How
stupid of me not to think of it!"
"Do not run into any danger, Harry," Marie
said earnestly. "Such a 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 should not succeed."
"Certainly it will succeed if Harry undertakes
it," Jeanne said, with implicit trust in his powers.
Harry laughed, and even Marie, anxious u she
was, could not help smiling.
"I will try and deserve your confidence, Jeanne;
but I am not a magician. But I will talk it over
with"—and he hesitated—"with a young fellow
who is, like myself, a Royalist, and in disguise.
Luckily, we ran against each other the other day,
and after a little conversation discovered each other.
He, too, has relatives in prison, and will, I am sure,
join me in any scheme I may undertake. Two


J 52 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
heads are better than one, and four are much better
than two when it comes to acting. And now I
must say good-night. I hope when I see you again
I shall be able to tell you that I have formed some
sort of plan for their release."


Iff- TEE REIGN OF TERROR.
163
CHAPTER VII.
THE SECOND OF SEPTEMBEE.
Viotoe de Gisons was, as usual, waiting near the
door when Harry left Louise Moulin's.
"What is the news, Henri? Nothing suspicious,
I hope? You are out sooner than usual."
"Yes, for I have something to think of. Here
have we been planning in vain for the last fortnight
to hit upon some scheme forgetting our friends out
of prison, and Jeanne has pointed out a way which
you and I never thought of."
"What is that, Henri?"
"The simplest thing in the world, namely, that
we should seize one of the leaders of these vil-
lains and compel him to sign an order for their
release."
"That certainly seems possible," Victor said. "I
wonder it never occurred to either of us. But how
is it to be done?"
"Ah, that is for us to think out! Jeanne has


154 IW TEE REIGN OF TERROR.
given us the idea, and we should be stupid if we
cannot invent the details. In the first place we
have got to settle which of them it had better be,
and in the next how it is to be managed. It must
be some one whose signature the people at the
prison would be sure to obey."
"Then," Victor said, "it must be either Danton
or Kobespierre."
"Or Marat," Harry added; "I think he is as
powerful as either of the others."
"He is the worst of them, anyhow," Victor said.
"There is something straightforward about Danton.
No doubt he is ambitious, but I think his hatred of
us all is real. He is a terrible enemy, and will
certainly stick at nothing. He is ruthless and
pitiless, but I do not think he is double-faced.
Kobespierre is ambitious too, but I think he is
really acting according to his principles, such as
they are. He would be pitiless, too, but he would
murder on principle.
"He would sign unmoved the order for a hundred
heads to fall if he thought their falling necessary or
even useful for the course of the Revolution, but I
do not think he would shed a drop of blood to satisfy
private enmity. They call him the 1 incorruptible.'
He is more dangerous than Danton, for he has no
vices. He lives simply, and they say is fond of


IN TEE REIGN OF TERROR. 165
birds and pets. I do not think we should make
much of either Danton or him, even if we got them
in our power.
"Danton would be like a wild beast in a snare.
He would rage with fury, but I do not think that
he would be intimidated into signing what we
require, nor do I think would Robespierre. Marat
is a different creature altogether. He is simply
venomous. He hates the world, and would abso-
lutely rejoice in slaughter. So loathsome is he in
appearance that even his colleagues shrink from
him. He is a venomous reptile whom it would be a
pleasure to slay, as it would be to put one's heel
upon a rattlesnake. Whether he is a coward or not
I do not know, but I should think so. Men of his
type are seldom brave. I think if we had him in
our hands we might frighten him into doing what
we want."
"Then Marat it shall be," Harry said; "that
much is settled. To-morrow we will find out some-
thing about his habits. Till we know about that we
cannot form any plan whatever. Let us meet at
dinner-time at our usual place. Then we will go
outside the Assembly and wait till he comes out
Fortunately we both know him well by sight. He
will be sure to go, surrounded, as usual, by a mob of
his admirers, to the Jacobin Club. From there we


156 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
can trace him to his home. No doubt any one could
tell us where he lives, but it would be dangerous to
ask. When we have found that out we can decide
upon our next step."
They were, however, saved the trouble they con-
templated, for they learned from the conversation
of two men among the mob, who cheered Marat as
he entered the Assembly, what they wanted to
know.
"Marat is the man for me," one of them said.
"He hates the aristocracy; he would bathe in their
blood. I never miss, reading his articles in the
Friend of the People. His cry is always 'Blood!
blood!' He does not ape the manner of the bour-
geois. He does not wash his face and put on clean
linen. He is a great man, but he is as dirty as the
best of us. He still lives in his old lodgings, though
he could move if he liked into any of the fine houses
whose owners are in the prisons. He wants no
servants, but lives just as we do. Vive Marat!"
"Where does the great citizen live ?" Victor asked
the men in a tone of earnest entreaty. On learning
the address they took their way to the dirty and
disreputable street where Marat lodged.
"The citizen Marat lives in this street, does he
not V* Victor asked a man lounging at the door of a
cabaret,


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
157
"Yes; in that house opposite. Do you want
him?"
"No; only I was curious to see the house where
the friend of the people lives, and as I was passing
the end of the street turned down. Will you drink
a glass?"
"I am always ready for that," the man said, " but
in these hard times one cannot do it as often as one
would like."
"That is true enough," Victor said as they took
their seats at a table. "And so Marat lives over
there; it's not much of a place for a great man."
"It is all he wants," the other said carelessly;
"and he is safer here than he would be in the
richer quarters. There would be a plot against
him, and those cursed Royalists would kill him if
they had the chance; but he is always escorted
home from the club by a band of patriots."
In the evening Harry and Victor returned to the
street and watched until Marat returned from the
Jacobin Club. His escort of men with torches and
bludgeons left him at the door, but two or three
went upstairs with him, and until far in the night
visitors came and went. Then the light in the
upper room was extinguished.
"It is not such an easy affair," Victor said as they
moved away; "and you see, as that man in the wine-


158 IN TEE REIGN OF TERROR.
shop told us, there is an old woman who cooks for
him, and it is much more difficult to seize two peo-
ple without an alarm being given than one."
"That is so," Harry agreed; "but it must be
done somehow. Every day matters grow more
threatening, and those bands of scoundrels from
Marseilles have not been brought all this way for
nothing. The worst of it is, we have such a short
time to act. Marat does not seem to be ever alone
from early morning until late at night. Supposing
we did somehow get the order of release from him
at night we could not present it till the morning,
and before we could present it some one might
arrive and discover him fastened up, and might take
the news to the prison before we could get them
out."
"Yes, that is very serious," Victor agreed. "I
begin to despair, Henri."
"We must not do that," Harry rejoined. "You
see we thought it impossible before till Jeanne gave
us the idea. There must be some way out of it if
we could only hit upon it. Perhaps by to-morrow
morning an idea will occur to one of us. And there
is another thing to be thought of, we must procure
disguises for them. It would be of no use whatever
getting them out unless we could conceal them
after they are freed. It would not do for them to


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
159
go to Louise Moulin's. She has three visitors
already, and the arrival of more to stay with her
would be sure to excite talk among the neighbors.
The last orders are so strict about the punishment
of any one giving shelter to enemies of the republic,
that people who let rooms will all be suspicious.
The only plan will be to get them out of the city at
once. It will be difficult for them to make their
way through France on foot, for in every town and
village there is the strictest lookout kept for sus-
pected persons. Still, that must be risked; there is
no other way."
"Yes, we must see about that to-morrow, Henri;
but I do not think the marquise could support such
a journey, for they would have to sleep in the fields.
Moreover, she will probably elect to stay near her
children until all can go together. Therefore I
think that it will be best for her to come either to
you or me. We can take an additional room, say-
ing that our mother is coming up from the country
to keep house for us."
"Yes, that would be much the best plan, Victor.
And now here we are close home. I hope by the
time we meet in the morning one of us may have
hit upon some plan or other for getting hold of this
scoundrel."
"I have hit upon an idea, Victor," Harry said
when they met the next morning.


160 IN TEE REIGN OF TERROR.
"I am glad to hear it, for though I have lain
awake all night I could think of nothing. Well,
what is your idea?"
"Well, you see, Marat often goes out in the
morning alone. He is so well known and he is so
much regarded by the lower class that he has no
fear of any assault being made upon him during the
day. My plan is that we should follow him till he
gets into some street with few people about. Then
I would rush upon him, seize him, and draw a knife
to strike, shouting, 'Die, villain!' You should be a
few paces behind, and should run up and strike the
knife out of my hand managing at the same
moment to tumble over Marat and fall with him to
the ground. That would give me time to bolt. I
would have a beard on, and would have my other
clothes under the blouse. I would rush into the first
doorway and run upstairs, pull off my beard,
blouse, and blue pantaloons, and then walk quietly
down. You would, of course, rush upstairs and
meet me on the way. I should say I had just met
a fellow running upstairs, and should slip quietly
off."
"It would be a frightful risk, Henri, frightful V
"No, I think it could be managed easily enough.
Then, of course, Marat would be very grateful to
you, and you could either get him to visit your


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 161
lodgings or could go up to his, and once you had
been there you could manage to outsit his last vis-
itor at night, and then we could do as we agreed."
"But, you know, we thought we should hardly
have time in the morning, Henri!"
"No, I have been thinking of that, and I have
come to the conclusion that our best plan would be
to seize him and hold a dagger to his heart, and
threaten to kill him instantly if he did not accom-
pany us. Then we would go down with him into
the street and walk arm and arm with him to your
lodging. We could thrust a ball of wood into his
mouth so that he could not call out even if he had
the courage to do so, which I don't think he would
have if he were assured that if he made the slight-
est sound we would kill him. Then we could make
him sign the order and leave him fastened up there.
It would be better to take him to your lodgings
than mine, in case my visits to Louise Moulin should
have been noticed, and when he is released there
will be a hue and cry after his captors."
"The best plan will be to put a knife into his
heart at once the minute you have got the order
signed," Victor said savagely; "I should have no
more hesitation in killing him than stamping on a
snake."
"No, Victor; the man is a monster, but we can-


162
I2f THE REIGN OF TERROR.
not kill him in cold blood; besides, we should do
more harm than good to the cause, for the people
would consider he had died a martyr to his cham-
pionship of their rights, and would be more furious
than ever against the aristocracy."
"But his account of what he has gone through
will have just the same effect, Henri."
"I should think it probable he would keep the
story to himself. What has happened once may
happen again; and besides, his cowardice in signing
the release of three enemies of the people in order
to save his life would tell against him. No, I think
he would keep silence. After we have got them
safe away we can return and so far loosen his bonds
that he would be able, after a time, to free himself.
Five minutes' start would be all that we should
want."
But the plan was not destined to be carried out.
It was the morning of the 2d of September, 1792,
and as they went down into the quarter where the
magazines of old clothes were situated, in order to
purchase the necessary disguises, they soon became
sensible that something unusual was in the air.
Separating, they joined the groups of men at the
corner of the streets and tried to learn what was
going on, but none seemed to know for certain. All
sorts of sinister rumors were about. Word had


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
163
been passed that the Jacobin bands were to be in
readiness that evening. Money had been distrib-
uted. The Marsellais had dropped hints that a blow
was to be struck at the tyrants. Everywhere there
was a suppressed excitement among the working-
classes, an air of gloom and terror among the
bourgeois.
After some time Harry and Victor came together
again and compared their observations. Neither
had learned anything definite, but both were sure
that something unusual was about to take place.
"It may be that a large number of fresh arrests
are about to be made," Harry said. "There are
still many deputies who withstand the violence of
the Mountain. It may be that a blow is going to
be struck against them."
"We must hope that that is it," Victor said, " but
1 am terribly uneasy."
Harry had the same feeling, but he did his best
to reassure his friend, and proposed that they
should at once set about buying the disguises, and
that on the following morning they should carry
into effect their plan with reference to Marat. The
dresses were bought. Two suits, such as a respect-
able mechanic would wear on Sundays or holidays,
were first purchased. There was then a debate as
to the disguise for the marquise; it struck them at


164 W TBE REIGN OF TERROR.
once that it was strange for two young workmen to
be purchasing female attire, but, after some consul-
tation, they decided upon a bonnet and long cloak,
and these Victor went in and bought, gayly telling
the shopkeeper that he was buying a birthday
present for his old mother.
They took the clothes up to Harry's room, agree-
ing that Louise could easily buy the rest of the
garments required for the marquise as soon as she
was free, but they decided to say nothing about the
attempt that was about to be made until it was
over, as it would cause an anxiety which the old
woman would probably be unable to conceal from
the girls.
Victor did not accompany Harry to his room;
they had never, indeed, visited each other in their
apartments, meeting always some little distance
away in order that their connection should be unob-
served, and that, should one be arrested, no suspi-
cion would follow the other. As soon as he had
deposited the clothes Harry sallied out again, and
on rejoining Victor they made their way down to
the Hotel de Ville, being too anxious to remain
quiet. They could learn nothing from the crowd
which was, as usual, assembled before the hotel.
There was a general impression that something
was about to happen, but none could give any


IN TEK REIGN OF TERROR.
165
definite reason for their belief. All day they wan-
dered about restless and anxious. They fought
their way into the galleries of the Assembly when
the doors opened, but for a time nothing new took
place.
The Assembly, in which the moderates had still a
powerful voice, had protested against the assumption
of authority by the council of the Commune sitting
at the Hotel de Ville. But the Assembly lacked
firmness, the Commune every day gained in power.
Already warrants of arrest were prepared against
the Girondists, the early leaders of the movement.
Too restless to remain in the Assembly, Victor
and Harry again took their steps to the Hotel de
Ville. Just as they arrived there twenty-four per-
sons, of whom twenty-two were priests, were
brought out from the prison of the Mairie by a
party of Marseillais, who shouted, "To the Ab-
baye!" These ruffians pushed the prisoners into
coaches standing at the door, shouting: "You will
not arrive at the prison; the people are waiting to
tear you in pieces." But the people looked on
silently in sullen apathy.
"You see them," the Marseillais shouted. "There
they are. You are about to march to Verdun.
They only wait for your departure to butcher your
wives and children."


166 & THK RBIGN OF TERROR.
Still the crowd did not move. The great mass of
the people had no share in the bloody deeds of the
Bevolution; these were the work of a few score of
violent men, backed by the refuse of the population.
A few shouts were raised here and there of, " Down
with the priests!" But more of the crowd joined
in the shouts which Victor and Harry lustily raised
of, "Shame, down with the Marseillais!" Victor
would have pressed forward to attack the Mar-
seillais had not Harry held his arm tightly, exclaim-
ing in his ear:
"Restrain yourself, Victor. Think of the lives
that depend upon ours. The mob will not follow
you. You can do nothing yourself. Come, get out
of the crowd."
So saying he dragged Victor away. It was well
that they could not see what was taking place in
the coaches, or Victor's fury would have been un-
governable, for several of the ruffians had drawn
their swords and were hacking furiously at their
prisoners.
"We will follow them," Harry said, when he and
Victor had made their way out of the crowd ; "but
you must remember, Victor, that, come what may,
you must keep cool. You would only throw away
your life uselessly; for Marie's sake you must keep
calm. Your life belongs to her, and you have no
right to throw it away."


IN THE RBION OF TERROR. 187
"You are right, Henri," Victor said gloomily;
"but how can one look on and see men inciting
others to massacre? What is going to take place?
We must follow them."
"I am ready to follow them," Harry said; "but
you must not go unless you are firmly resolved to
restrain your feelings whatever may happen. You
can do no possible good, and will only involve your-
self in the destruction of others."
"You may trust me," the young count said; "I
will be calm for Marie's sake."
Harry had his doubts as to his friend's power of
self-control, but he was anxious to see what was
taking place, and they joined the throng that fol-
lowed the coaches. But they were now in the rear,
and could see nothing that was taking place before
them. When the carriages reached the Abbaye the
prisoners alighted. Some of them were at once cut
down by the Marseillais, the rest fled into the hall,
where one of the committees was sitting. Its mem-
bers, however, did nothing to protect them, and
looked on while all save two were massacred unre-
sistingly. Then the Marseillais came out brandish-
ing their bloody weapons and shouting, "The good
work has begun; down with the priests! down
with the enemies of the people!"
The better class of people in the crowd assembled


168 -Or THE REIGN OF TERROR.
at the Hotel de Ville had not followed the proces-
sion to the Abbaye. They had been horror-struck
at the words and actions of the Marseillais, and felt
that this was the beginning of the fulfillment of the
rumors of the last few days.
The murder of the first prisoner was indeed the
signal for every man of thought or feeling and of
heart to draw back from the Revolution. Thou-
sands of earnest men who had at first thought that
the hour of life and liberty commenced with the
meeting of the States-General, and who had gone
heart and soul with that body in its early struggles
for power, had long since shrunk back appalled at
the new tyranny which had sprung into existence.
Each fresh act of usurpation of power by the
Jacobins had alienated a section. The nobles and
the clergy, many of whom had at first gone heartily
with the early reformers, had shrunk back appalled
when they saw that religion and monarchy were
menaced. The bourgeoisie, who had made the
Revolution, were already to a man against it; the
Girondists, the leaders of the third estate, had fallen
away, and over their heads the axe was already
hanging. The Revolution had no longer a friend in
France, save among the lowest, the basest, and the
most ignorant. And now, by the massacres of the
2d of September, the republic of France was to stand


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
169
forth in the eyes of Europe as a blood-stained mon-
ster, the enemy, not of kings only, but of humanity
in general.
Thus the crowd following the Marseillais was
composed almost entirely of the scum of Paris,
wretches who had long been at war with society,
who hated the rich, hated the priests, hated all
above them—men who had suffered so much that
they had become wild beasts, who were the products
of that evil system of society which had now been
overthrown. The greater proportion of them were
in the pay of the Commune, for, two days before,
all the unemployed had been enrolled as the army
of the Commune. Thus there was no repetition
before the Abbaye of the cries of shame which had
been heard in front of the Mairie. The shouts of the
Marseillais were taken up and re-echoed by the mob.
Savage cries, curses, and shouts for vengeance filled
the air; many were armed, and knives and bludgeons,
swords and pikes, were brandished or shaken. Blood
had been tasted, and all the savage instincts were
on fire.
"This is horrible, Henri!" Victor de Gisons ex-
claimed. "I feel as if I were in a nightmare, not
that any nightmare could compare in terror to this.
Look at those hideous faces—faces of men debased
by crime, sodden with drink, degraded below the


170
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
level of brutes, exulting in the thought of blood,
lusting for murder; and to think that these creatures
are the masters of France. Great heavens! what
can come of it in the future? What is going to take
place now?"
"Organized massacre, I fear, Victor. What
seemed incredible, impossible, is going to take place;
there is to be a massacre of the prisoners."
They had by this time reached the monastery of
the Carmelites, now converted into a prison. Here
a large number of priests had been collected. The
Marseillais entered, and the prisoners were called
by name to assemble in the garden.
First the Archbishop of Aries was murdered;
then they fell upon the others and hewed them
down. The Bishops of Saintes and Beauvais were
among the slain, and the assassins did not desist
until the last prisoner in the Carmelites had been
hacked to pieces. Graves had already been dug
near the Barrier Saint Jacques and carts were wait-
ing to convey the corpses there, showing how care-
fully the preparations for the massacre had been
made.
Then the Marseillais returned to the Abbaye,
and, with a crowd of followers, entered the great
hall. Here the bailiff Maillard organized a sort of
tribunal of men taken at random from the crowd.


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
m
Some of these were paid hirelings of the Commune,
some were terrified workmen or small tradesmen
who had, merely from curiosity, joined the mob.
The Swiss officers and soldiers, who were, with the
priests, special objects of hatred to the mob, were
first brought out. They were spared the farce of a
trial, they were ordered to march out through the
doors, outside which the Marseillais were awaiting
them. Some hesitated to go out, and cried for
mercy.
A young man with head erect was the first to pass
through the fatal doors. He fell in a moment,
pierced with pikes. The rest followed him, and all
save two, who were, by some caprice of the mob,
Bpared, shared his fate. The mob had crowded into
the galleries which surrounded the hall and ap-
plauded with ferocious yells the murder of the sol-
diers. In the body of the hall a space was kept
clear by the armed followers of the Commune round
the judges' table, and a pathway to the door from
the interior of the prison to that opening into the
street.
When the Swiss had been massacred the trial of
the other prisoners commenced. One after another
the prisoners were brought out. They were asked
their names and occupations, a few questions fol-
lowed, and then the verdict of "Guilty." One


i?2 IN TME REIGN OF TERROR.
after another they were conducted to the door and
there slain. Two or three by the wittiness of their
answers amused the mob and were thereupon ac-
quitted, the acquittals being greeted by the specta-
tors as heartily as the sentences of death.
Victor and Harry were in the lowest gallery.
They stood back from the front, but between the
heads of those before them they could see what was
going on below. Victor stood immovable, his face
as pale of death. His cap had fallen off, his hair
was dank with perspiration, his eyes had a look of
concentrated horror, his body shook with a spas-
modic shuddering. In vain Harry, when he once
saw what was going to take place, urged him in a
whisper to leave. He did not appear to hear, and
even when Harry pulled him by the sleeve of his
blouse he seemed equally unconscious. Harry was
greatly alarmed, and feared that every moment his
companion would betray himself by some terrible
outburst.
After the three or four first prisoners had been
disposed of, a tall and stately man was brought
into the hall. A terrible cry, which sounded loud
even above the tumult which reigned, burst from
Victor's lips. He threw himself with the fury of a
madman upon those in front of him, and in a
moment would have bounded into the hall had not


m T3E REIGN OP TERROR.
Harry brought the heavy stick he carried with all
his force down upon his head. Victor fell like a
log under the blow.
"What is it? What is it?" shouted those around.
"My comrade has gone out of his mind," Harry
said quietly; "he has been drinking for some days,
and his hatred for the enemies of France has turned
his head. I have been watching him, and had I not
knocked him down he would have thrown himself
head-foremost off the gallery and broken his neck."
The explanation seemed natural, and all were too
interested in what was passing in the hall below to
pay further attention to so trivial an incident. It
was well that Harry had caught sight of the pris-
oner before Victor did so and was prepared for the
outbreak, for it was the Duc de Gisons who had
thus been led in to murder. Harry dragged Victor
back against the wall behind and then tried to
lift him.
"I will lend you a hand," a tall man in the dress
of a mechanic, who had been standing next to him,
said, and, lifting Victor's body on to his shoulder,
made his way to the top of the stairs, Harry pre-
ceding him and opening a way through the crowd.
In another minute they were in the open air.
"Thank you greatly," Harry said. "I do not
know how I should have managed without your


174 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
aid. If you put him down here I will try and bring
him round."
"I live not far from here," the man said. "I
will take him to my room. You need not be
afraid," he added as Harry hesitated, " I have got
my eyes open, you can trust me."
So saying he made his way through the crowd
gathered outside. He was frequently asked who he
was carrying, for the crowd feared lest any of their
prey should escape; but the man's reply,given with
a rough laugh—" It is a lad whose stomach is not
strong enough to bear the sight of blood, and I tell
you it is pretty hot in there "—satisfied them.
Passing through several streets the man entered
a small house and carried Victor to the attic and
laid him on a bed, then he carefully closed the door
and struck a light.
"You struck hard, my friend," he said, as he ex-
amined Victor's head. "Mafoi, I should not have
liked such a blow myself; but I don't blame you.
You were but just in time to prevent his betraying
himself, and better a hundred times a knock on the
head than those pikes outside the door. I had my
eye on him, and felt sure he would do something
rash, and I had intended to choke him, but he was
too quick for me. How came you to be so foolish
as to be there?"


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
176
"We had friends in the prison, and we thought
we might do something to save them," Harry
answered, for he saw that it would be his best
policy to be frank. "It was his father whom they
brought out."
"It was rash of you, young sir. A kid might as
well try to save his mother from the tiger who has
laid its paw upon her as for you to try to rescue
any one from the clutches of the mob. Mori Bieu!
to think that in the early days I was fool enough
to go down to the Assembly and cheer the deputies;
but I have seen my mistake. What has it brought
us ?—a ruined trade, an empty cupboard, and to be
ruled by the ruffians of the slums instead of the
king, the clergy, and the upper classes. I was a
brass-worker, and a good one, though I say it my-
self, and earned good wages. Now for the last
month I haven't done a stroke of work. "Who
wants to buy brass-work when there are mansions
and shops to pillage? And now, what are you
going to do? My wife is out, but she will probably
be back soon. We will attend to this young fellow.
She is a good nurse, and I tell you I think he will
need all we can do for him."
"You don't think I have seriously injured him?"
Harry said in a tone of dismay.
"No, no; don't make yourself uneasy. You have


178 tff THE BBION OF TMMBOM.
CHAPTER Vni.
UikXa AEEESTED.
On leaving Victor in the care of the man who
had so providentially come to his aid, Harry hurried
down the street toward the Abbaye, then he stopped
to think—should he return there or make his way
to the Bic6tre? He could not tell whether his
friends had, like the Duc de Gisons, been removed
to the Abbaye. If they had been so, it was clearly
impossible for him to aid them in any way. They
might already have fallen. The crowd was too
great for him to regain the gallery, and even there
he could only witness, without power to avert, their
murder. "Were they still at the Bicgtre he might do
something. Perhaps the assassins had not yet
arrived there.
It was now nine o'clock in the evening. The
streets were almost deserted. The respectable in-
habitants all remained within their houses, trembling
at the horrors, of which reports had circulated during
the afternoon. At first there had been hopes that


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 170
the Assembly would take steps to put a stop to the
massacre, but the Assembly did nothing. Danton
and the ministers were absent. The cannon's roar
and the tocsin sounded perpetually. There was no
secret as to what was going on. The Commune had
the insolence to send commissioners to the bar of
the Assembly to state that the people wished to
break open the doors of the prisons, and this when
two hundred priests had already been butchered at
the Carmelites.
A deputation indeed went to the Abbaye to try to
persuade the murderers to desist, but their voices
were drowned in tumultuous cries. The Commune
of Paris openly directed the massacre. Billaud-
Varennes went backward and forward to superin-
tend the execution of his orders, and promised the
executioners twenty-four francs a day. The receipt
for the payment of this blood-money still exists.
On arriving in front of the BicStre Harry found all
was silent there, and with a faint feeling of hope
that the massacre would not extend beyond the
Abbaye he again turned his steps in that direc-
tion.
The bloody work was still going on, and Harry
wandered away into the quiet streets to avoid hear-
ing the shrieks of the victims and the yells of the
crowd. A sudden thought struck him, and he went


180 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
along until he saw a woman come out of a house.
He ran up to her.
"Madame," he said, " I have the most urgent need
of a bonnet and shawl. Will you sell me those you
have on? The shops are all shut, or I would not
trouble you. You have only to name your price
and I will pay you."
The woman was surprised at this proposition, but
seeing that a good bargain was to be made she asked
twice the cost of the articles when new, and this
Harry paid her without question.
Wrapping the shawl and bonnet into a bundle he
retraced his steps, and sat down on some doorsteps
within a distance of the Abbaye which would enable
him to observe any general movement of the crowd
in front of the prison. At one o'clock in the morn-
ing there was a stir, and the body of men with pikes
moved down the street.
"They are going to La Force," he said, after fol-
lowing them for some distance. "Oh, if I had but
two or three hundred English soldiers here we would
make mincemeat of these murderers!"
Harry did not enter La Force, where the scenes
that were taking place at the Abbaye—for, in spite
of the speed with which the mock trials were hur-
ried through, these massacres were not yet finished
there, so great was the number of prisoners—were
repeated.


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 181
At La Force many ladies were imprisoned, among
them the Princess de Lamballe. They shared the
fate of the male prisoners, being hewn to pieces by
sabers. The head of the princess was cut off and
stuck upon a pike, and was carried in triumph under
the windows of the Temple, where the king and
queen were confined, and was held up to the bars of
the room they occupied for them to see. Marie
Antoinette, fearless for herself, fainted at the
terrible sight of the pale head of her friend.
Harry remained at a little distance from La Force,
tramping restlessly up and down, half-mad with rage
and horror, and at his powerlessness to interfere in
any way with the proceedings of the wretches who
were carrying on the work of murder. At last,
about eight o'clock in the morning, a boy ran by.
"They have finished with them at the Abbaye,"
he said with fiendish glee. "They are going from
there to the Bicetre."
Harry with difficulty repressed his desire to slay
the urchin, and hurried away to reach the prison of
Bicetre before the band from the Abbaye arrived
there. Unfortunately he came down by a side
street upon them when they were within a few
hundred yards of the prison. His great hope was
that he might succeed in penetrating with the Mar-
seillais and find the marquise, and aid her in mak-


182 TN TEE REIGtf OF TERROR.
ing her way through the mob in the disguise h«
had purchased.
But here, as at the other prisons, there was a
method in the work of murder. The agents of the
Commune took possession of the hall at the entrance
and permitted none to pass further into the prison,
the warders and officials bringing down the prison-
ers in batches, and so handing them over for
slaughter. In vain Harry tried to penetrate into
the inner part of the prison. He was roughly
repulsed by the men guarding the door; and at last,
finding that nothing could be done, he forced his
way out again into the open air, and hurrying away
for some distance, threw himself on the ground and
burst into a passion of tears.
After a time he rose and made his way back to
the house where he had left Victor de Gisons. Ho
found him in a state of delirium, acting over and
over again the scene in the Abbaye, cursing the
judge and executioners, and crying out he would
die with his father.
"What does the doctor think of him V he asked
the woman who was sitting by Victor's bed.
"He did not say much," the woman replied. "He
shook his head, and said there had been a terrible
mental shock, and that he could not answer either
for his life or reason. There was nothing to do but


IX THE RB1GX OF TERROR.
to be patient, to keep his head bandaged with wet
cloths, and to give him water from time to time.
Do not be afraid, sir; we will watch over him
carefully."
"I would stay if I could," Harry said; "but I
have others I must see about. I have the terrible
news to break to some young ladies of the murder
of their father and mother."
"Poor things!—poor things!" the woman said,
shaking her head. "It is terrible! My husband
was telling me what he saw; and a neighbor came
in just now and said it was the same thing at all the
other prisons. The priest, too—our priest at the
little church at the corner of the street, where I
used to go in every morning to pray on my way to
market—he was dragged away ten days ago to the
Carmelites, and now he is a saint in heaven. How
is it, sir, that God allows such things to be V
"We cannot tell," Harry said sadly. "As for
myself, I can hardly believe it, though I saw it.
They say there are over four thousand people in the
prisons, and they will all be murdered. Such a
thing was never heard of. I can hardly believe
that I am not in a dream now."
"You look almost like one dead yourself," the
woman said pityingly. "I have made a bouillon
for Jacques' breakfast and mine. It is just ready.


184
ffl THE REIGN OF TERROR.
Do take a mouthful before you go out. That and
a piece of bread and a cup of red wine will do you
good."
Harry was on the point of refusing; but he felt
that he was utterly worn and exhausted, and that he
must keep up his strength. Her husband, therefore,
took her place by Victor's bedside in readiness to
hold him down should he try to get up in his rav-
ings, while the good woman ladled out a basin of
the broth and placed it with a piece of bread and
some wine on the table. Harry forced himself to
drink it, and when he rose from the table he already
felt the benefit of the meal.
"Thank you very much," he said. "I feel
stronger now; but how I am to tell the story I do
not know. But I must make quite certain before I
go to these poor girls that their parents were killed.
Three or four were spared at the Abbaye. Possibly
it may have been the same thing at the Bicetre."
So Harry went back and waited outside the prison
until the bloody work was over; but found on ques-
tioning those who came out when all was done that
the thirst for blood had increased with killing, and
that all the prisoners found in the Bicfitre had been
put to death.
"Ma foi /" the man whom he was speaking to
said; "but these accursed aristocrats have courage.


IN Tun Reign of terror.
185
Men and women were alike; there was not one of
them but faced the judges bravely and went to their
death as calmly as if to dinner. There was a mar-
quis and his wife—the Marquis de St. Caux they
called him. They brought them out together.
They were asked whether they had anything to say
why they should not be punished for their crimes
against France. The marquis laughed aloud.
"'Crimes !' he said. 'Do you think a Marquis de
St. Caux is going to plead for his life to a band of
murderers and assassins? Come, my love.'
"He just gave her one kiss, and then took her
hand as if they were going to walk a minuet
together, and then led her down between the lines
of guards with his head erect and a smile of scorn
on his face. , She did not smile, but her step
never faltered. I watched her closely. She was
very pale, and she did not look proud, but she
walked as calmly and steadily as her husband till
they reached the door where the pikemen were
awaiting them, and then it was over in a minute,
and they died without a cry or a groan. They are
wretches, the aristocrats. They have fattened on
the life-blood of the people; but they know how to
die, these people."
Without a word Harry turned away. He had
told himself there was no hope; but he knew by


186
IN TEE REIGN OF TERROR.
the bitter pang he felt now that he had hoped to
the last. Then he walked slowly away to tell the
news.
There were comparatively few people about the
streets, and these all of the lower order. Every
shop was closed. Men with scared faces stood at
some of the doors to gather the news from passers-
by, and pale women looked timidly from the upper
windows. When he reached the house he could not
summon courage to enter it, but stood for a long
time outside, until at last he saw Louise Moulin put
her head from the window. He succeeded in catch-
ing her eye, and placing his finger on his lips signed
to her to come down. A minute later she appeared
at the door.
"Is it all true, Monsieur Sandwith? They say
they are murdering the prisoners. Surely it must
be false! They could never do such a thing!"
"It is true, Louise. I have seen it myself. I
went with a disguise to try and rescue our dear lady,
even if I could not save the marquis; but I could
not get to her—the wretches have murdered them
both."
"Oh, my dear lady !" the old woman cried, burst-
ing into tears; "the pretty babe I nursed. To
think of her murdered; and the poor young things
upstairs—what shall I do ?—what shall I do, Mon-
sieur Sandwith V


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR 187
"You must break it to them, Louise. Do they
know how great the danger is?"
"No. I have kept it from them. They can see
from the window that something unusual is going
on, every one can see that. But I told them it was
only that the Prussians were advancing. They are
anxious—very anxious—but they are quite unpre-
pared for this."
"Break it gradually, Louise. Tell them first that
there are rumors that the prisons have been at-
tacked. Come down again presently as if to get
more news, and then tell them that there are re-
ports that the prisoners have been massacred, and
then at last tell them all the truth."
"But will you not come up, Monsieur Sandwith—
they trust in you so much? Your presence will be
a support to them."
"I could do nothing now," Harry said sadly.
"God only can console them. They had best be by
themselves for awhile. I will come in this evening.
The first burst of grief will be over then, and my
talk may aid them to rouse themselves. Oh, if we
had but tried to get them out of prison sooner.
And yet who could have foreseen that here in Paris
thousands of innocent prisoners, men and women,
would be murdered in cold blood!"
Finding that she could not persuade Harry to


188 IN THE REIGN OF TERBOB.
enter, Louise turned to perform her painful duty;
while Harry, thoroughly exhausted with the night
of horrors, made his way home, and throwing him-
self on the bed, fell asleep, and did not wake until
evening. His first step was to plunge his head into
water, and then, after a good wash, to prepare a
meal, His sleep had restored his energy, and with
brisk steps he made his way through the streets to
Louise Moulin. He knocked with his knuckles at
the outer door of her apartments. The old nurse
opened it quietly.
"Come in," she said, "and sit down. They are
in their room, and I think they have cried them-
selves to sleep. My heart has been breaking all day
to see them. It has been dreadful. Poor little Vir-
ginie cried terribly, and sobbed for hours; but it was
a long time before the others cried. Marie fainted,
and when I got her round lay still and quiet with-
out speaking. Jeanne was worst of all. She sat on
that chair with her eyes staring open and her face
as white as if she were dead. She did not seem to
hear anything I said; but at last, when Virginie's
sobs were stopping, I began to talk to her about
her mother and her pretty ways when she was a
child, and then at last Jeanne broke down, and she
cried so wildly that I was frightened, and then
Marie cried too; and after awhile I persuaded them


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
189
all to lie down; and as I have not heard a sound for
the last hour I hope the good God has sent them all
to sloep."
"I trust so indeed, Louise. I will stay here
quietly for an hour, and then if we hear nothing I
will go home, and be back again in the morning.
Sleep will do more for them than anything I can
say."
At the end of an hour all was still quiet, and
Harry with a somewhat lightened heart took his
departure.
At nine o'clock next morning he was again at the
house. When he entered Virginie ran to him, and
throwing her arms round his neck again burst into
a passion of tears. Harry felt that this was the best
thing that could have happened, for the others were
occcupied for some time in trying to soothe her,
crying quietly to themselves while they did so. At
last her sobs became less violent.
"And now, Harry," Marie said, turning to him,
"will you tell us all about it?"
"I will tell you only that your dear father and
mother died, as you might be sure they would,
calmly and fearlessly, and that they suffered but
little. More than that I cannot tell you now.
Some day further on, when you can bear it, I will
tell you of the events of the last forty-eight hours,


190 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
At present I myself dare not think of it, and it
would harm you to know it.
"Do not, I pray you, ask me any questions now.
We must think of the future. Fortunatfly you
passed unsuspected the last time they searched the
house; but it may not be so another time. You
may be sure that these human tigers will not be
satisfied with the blood they have shed, but that
they will long for fresh victims. The prisons are
empty now, but they will soon be filled again. We
must therefore turn our thoughts to your making
your escape from the city. I fear that there is
peril everywhere; but it must be faced. I think it
will be useless for us to try and reach the frontier
by land. At every town and village they will be on
the lookout for fugitives, and whatever disguise you
might adopt you could not escape observation. I
think, then, that we must make for the sea and hire
a fishing-boat to take us across to England.
"But we must not huny. In the first place, we
must settle all our plans carefully and prepare our
disguises; in the next place, there will be such
tremendous excitement when the news of what has
happened here is known that it would be unsafe to
travel. I think myself it will be best to wait a
little until there is a lull. That is what I want you
%o think over and decide,


IN TME REIGN OF TERROR.
191
"I do not think there is any very great danger
here for the next few days. For a little time they
will be tired of slaying; and, from what I hear, the
Girondists are marked out as the next victims.
They say Danton has denounced them at the
Jacobin Club. At any rate it will be better to get
everything in readiness for flight, so that we can
leave at once if we hear of any fresh measures for a
search after suspects."
Harry was pleased to find that his suggestion an-
swered the purpose for which he made it. The
girls began to discuss the disguises which would be
required and the best route to be taken, and their
thoughts were for a time turned from the logs they
had sustained. After an hour's talk he left them
greatly benefited by his visit.
For the next few days Harry spent his time for
the most part by the bedside of Victor de Gisons.
The fever was still at its height, and the doctor
gave but small hopes of his recovery. Harry de-
termined that he would not leave Paris until the
issue was decided one way or the other, and when
with the girls he discouraged any idea of an imme-
diate flight. This was the more easy, for the news
from the provinces showed that the situation was
everywhere as bad as it was at the capital.
The Commune had sent to all the committees


192
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
acting in connection with them in the towns
throughout the country the news of the execution
of the enemies of France confined in the prisons,
and had urged that a similar step should at once be
taken with reference to all the prisoners in their
hands. The order was promptly obeyed, and
throughout France massacres similar to those in
Paris were at once carried out. A carnival of mur-
der and horror had commenced, and the madness
for blood raged throughout the whole country.
Such being the case, Harry found it by no means
difficult to dissuade the girls from taking instant
steps toward making their escape.
He was, however, in a state of great uneasiness.
Many of the moderate deputies had been seized,
others had sought safety in flight, and the search
for suspected persons was carried on vigorously.
Difficult and dangerous as it would be to endeavor
to travel through France with three girls, he would
have attempted it without hesitation rather than re-
main in Paris had it not been for Victor de Gisons.
One day, a week after the massacres at the
prisons, he received another terrible shock. He had
bought a paper from one of the men shouting them
for sale in the street, and sat down in the garden of
the Tuileries to read it. A great portion of the
space was filled with lists of the enemies of the peo-


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
193
pie who had been, as it was called, executed. As
these lists had formed the staple of news for several
days Harry scarce glanced at the names, his eye
traveling rapidly down the list until he gave a start
and a low cry. Under the heading of persons exe-
cuted at Lille were the names of Ernest de St.
Caux, Jules de St. Caux, Pierre du Tillet—" aristo-
crats, arrested August 15th, in the act of endeavor*
ing to leave France in disguise."
For some time Harry sat as if stunned. He had
scarce given a thought to his friends since the night
they had left, the affairs of the marquis and his
wife, of their daughters, and of Victor de Gisons,
almost excluding everything else. When he thought
of the boys it had been as already in England,
under the charge of Du Tillet.
He had thought, that if they had been arrested
on the way he should have been sure to hear of it;
and he had such confidence in the sagacity of Mon-
sieur du Tillet that he had looked upon it as almost
certain he would be able to lead his two charges
through any difficulty and danger which might
beset them. And now he knew that his hopes had
been ill founded—that his friends had been arrested
when almost within sight of the frontier, and had
been murdered as soon as the news of the massacres
in Paris had reached Lille.


194
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
He felt crushed with the blow. A warm affec-
tion had sprung up between him and Ernest, while
from the first the younger boy had attached himself
to him; and now they were dead, and the girls
were alone in the world, save for himself and the
poor young fellow tossing with fever! It was true
that if his friends had reached England in safety
they could not have aided him in the task he had
before him of getting the girls away; still their
deaths somehow seemed to add to his responsibili-
ties.
Upon one thing he determined at once, and that
was, that until his charges were safely in England
they should not hear a whisper of this new and
terrible misfortune which had befallen them.
In order to afford the girls some slight change,
and anxious at their pale faces, the result of grief
and of their unwonted confinement, Louise Moulin
had persuaded them to go out with her in the early
mornings when she went to the markets.. The fear
of detection was small, for the girls had now become
accustomed to their thick shoes and rough dresses;
and indeed she thought that it would be safer to go
out, for the suspicions of her neighbors might be
excited if the girls remained secluded in the house.
Harry generally met them soon after they started,
and accompanied them in their walk.


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 1$5
One morning he was walking with the two
younger girls, while Marie and the old nurse were
together a short distance in front of them. They
had just reached the flower-market, which was gen-
erally the main object of their walks—for the girls,
having passed most of their time in the country,
were passionately fond of flowers—when a man on
horseback wearing a red sash, which showed him to
be an official of the republic, came along at a foot-
pace. His eyes fell upon Marie's face and rested
there, at first with the look of doubtful recognition,
followed by a start of surprise and satisfaction.
He reined in his horse instantly, with the exclama-
tion:
"Mademoiselle de St. Caux!"
For a moment she shrank back, her cheek paler
even than before; then recovering herself she said
calmly:
"It is myself, Monsieur Lebat."
"Citizen Lebat," he corrected. "You forget,
there are no titles now—we have changed all that.
It goes to my heart," he went on with a sneer, "to
be obliged to do my duty; but however unpleasant
it is, it must be done. Citizens," he said, raising his
voice, "I want two men well disposed to the
state."
As to be ill disposed meant danger if not


196
IN THE RKlGN OF TERROR.
death, several men within hearing at once came
forward.
"This female citizen is an aristocrat in disguise,"
he went on, pointing to Marie; "in virtue of my
office as deputy of Dijon and member of the Com-
mittee of Public Safety, I arrest her and give her
into your charge. Where is the person who was
with her? Seize her also on a charge of harboring
an enemy of the state!"
But Louise was gone. The moment Lebat had
looked round in search of assistance Marie had
whispered in Louise's ear: "Fly, Louise, for the
sake of the children; if you are arrested they are
lost."
Had she herself been alone concerned, the old
woman would have stood by Marie and shared her
fate; but the words "for the sake of the children"
decided her, and she had instantly slipped away
among the crowd, whose attention had been
called by Lebat's first words, and dived into a small
shop, where she at once began to bargain for some
eggs.
"Where is the woman?" Lebat repeated angrily.
"What is she like?" one of the bystanders asked.
But Lebat could give no description whatever of
her. He had noticed that Marie was speaking to
some one when he first caught sight of her face; but


IN TSE REIGN OE TERROR.
he had noticed nothing more, and did not know
whether the woman was young or old.
"I can't tell you," he said in a tone of vexation.
"Never mind; we shall find her later on. This
capture is the most important."
So saying he set out, with Marie walking beside
him, with a guard on either hand. In the next
street he came on a party of four of the armed
soldiers of the Commune, and ordered them to take
the place of those he had first charged with the
duty, and directed them to proceed with him to the
Mairie.
Marie was taken at once before the committee
sitting en permanence for the discovery and arrest of
suspects.
"I charge this young woman with being an aristo-
crat in disguise. She is the daughter of the ci-devant
Marquis de St. Caux, who was executed on the 2d
of Sepember at Bicetre."
"Murdered, you mean, sir," Marie said in a clear,
haughty voice. "Why not call things by their
proper name?"
"I am sorry," Lebat went on, not heeding the
interruption, "that it should fall to my lot to de-
nounce her, for I acknowledge that in the days
before our glorious Eevolution commenced, I have
visited at her father's chateau. But I feel that my


IN TEE REIGN OF TERROR.
199
"I know what I am doing, Jeanne; I will tell
you presently." He walked along several streets
until he came to an unfrequented thoroughfare.
"There is something wrong, Harry, I see it in
your face!" Jeanne exclaimed. "Tell us at once."
"It is bad news," Harry said quietly. "Try and
nerve yourselves, my dear girls, for you will need
all your courage. Marie is captured."
"Oh, Harry!" Virginie exclaimed, bursting into
tears, while Jeanne stood still and motionless.
"Why are you taking us away?" she said in a
hard, sharp voice which Harry would not have
recognized as hers. "Our place is with her, and
where she goes we will go. You have no right to
lead us away. We will go back to her at once."
"You can do her no good, Jeanne, dear," Harry
said gently. "You could not help her, and it would
only add to her misery if Virginie and you were
also in their hands. Besides, we can be of more use
outside. Trust to me, Jeanne; I will do all in my
power to save her, whatever the risk."
"You could not save our father and mother,"
Jeanne said with a quivering lip.
"No, dear; but I would have saved them had
there been but a little time to do so. This time I
hope to be more successful. Courage, Jeanne! do
not give way; I depend on your olear head to help


200
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
me. Besides, till we can get her back, you have to
fill Marie's place and look after Virginie."
The appeal was successful, and Jeanne burst into
a passion of tears. Harry did not try to check
them, and in a short time the sobs ceased and
Jeanne raised her head again.
"I feel better now," she said. "Come, Virginie,
and dry your eyes, darling; we shall have plenty of
time to cry afterward. Are we to go home, Harry?
Have they taken Louise?"
"I do not know, Jeanne; that is the first thing
to find out, for if they have, it will not be safe for
you to return. Let us push on now, so that if she
has not been taken we shall reach home before her.
We will place ourselves at the corner of your street
and wait for an hour; she may spend some time in
looking for us, but if she does not come by the end
of that time I shall feel sure that it is because she
cannot come, and in that case I must look out for
another place for you."
They hurried on until they were nearly home,
the brisk walk having, as Harry had calculated it
would do, had the effect of preventing their thoughts
from dwelling upon Marie's capture. They had not
been more than a quarter of an hour at their post
when Harry gave an exclamation of satisfaction as
he saw Louise Moulin approaching. The two girls
hurried to meet her.


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
201
"Thank God you are both safe, dears!" she ex-
claimed with tears streaming down her cheeks. "I
thought of you in the middle of it all; but I was
sure that Monsieur Sandwith would see what was
being done and would get you away."
"And you, Louise," said Harry, who had now
come up, "how did you get away? I have been
terribly anxious, thinking that they might seize you
too, and that would have been dreadful."
"So they would have done," the old woman said;
"but when that evil man looked away for a moment,
mademoiselle whispered, 'Fly, Louise, for the chil-
dren's sake!' and I slipped away into the crowd
without even stopping to think, and ran into a shop;
and it was well I did, for he shouted to them to
seize me too, but I was gone, and as I don't think
he noticed me before, they could not find me; and
as soon as they had all moved away I came out. I
looked for you for some time, and then made up
my mind that Monsieur Sandwith had come on
home with you."
"So I did, you see," Harry said; "but 1 did not
dare to go in until we knew whether you had been
taken too. If you had not come after a time we
should have looked for another lodging, though I
knew well enough that you would not tell them
where you lived."


202 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
"No, indeed," the old woman said. "They
might have cut me in pieces without getting a sin-
gle word from me as to where I lived. Still they
might have found out somehow, for they would
have been sure to have published the fact that I had
been taken, with a description of me. Then the
neighbors would have said, 'This description is like
Louise Moulen, and she is missing;' and then they
would have talked, and the end of it would have
been you would have been discovered. Will you
come home with us, Monsieur Sand with?"
"I will come after it's dark, Louise. The less my
visits are noticed the better." •
"This is awful!" Harry said to himself as he
turned away. "The marquis and his wife massa-
cred, Ernest and Jules murdered, Marie in prison,
Victor mad with fever, Jeanne and Virginie with
no one to trust to but me, my people at home in a
frightful stats of mind about me. It is awful to
think of. It's enough to drive a fellow out of his
senses. Well, I will go and see how Victor is going
on. The doctor thought there was a change yester-
day. Poor fellow! if he comes to his senses I shall
have hard work to keep the truth about Marie from
him. It would send him off again worse than ever
if he had an idea of it."
"And how is your patient to-day, madame?" he
asked, as Victor's nurse opened the door to him. i


W T8E REIGN OX TERROR. 203
"He is quieter, much quieter," she replied. "I
think he is too weak to rave any longer; but other-
wise he's just the same. He lies with his eyes open,
talking sometimes to himself, but I cannot make out
any sense in what he saya. The doctor has been
here this morning, and he says that he thinks
another two days will decide. If he does not take
a turn then he will die. If he does, he may live,
but even then he may not get his reason again.
Poor young fellow! I feel for him almost as if he
were my son, and so does Jacques."
"You are both very good, madame," Harry said,
"and my friend is fortunate indeed to have fallen
into such good hands. I will sit with him for three
or four hours now, and you had better go and get a
little fresh air."
"That I will, monsieur. Jacques is asleep. He
was up with him all last night, and I had a good
night. He would have it so."
"Quite right," Harry said. "You must not knock
yourself up, madame. You are too useful to others
for us to let you do that. To-morrow night I will
take my turn."


IN THE REIGN Op TERROR. 205
"I felt sure it was Victor all along," the girl said.
"In the first place I never believed that he had
gone away. Marie told me she had begged and
prayed him to go, and that he had only gone to
please her. She seemed to think it was right he
should go, but I didn't think so. A gentleman
would not run away and leave any one he liked
behind, even if she told him. It was not likely.
Why, here are you staying here and risking your
life for us, though we are not related to you and
have no claim upon you. And how could Victor
run away? But as Marie seemed pleased to think
he was safe I said nothing; but I know, if he had
gone and some day they had been married, 1 should
never have looked upon him as a brother. But I
felt sure he wouldn't do it, and that he was in Paris
still. Then, again, you did not tell us the name of
the friend who was working with you, and I felt
sure you must have some reason for your silence.
So, putting the two things together, I was sure that
it was Victor. What has happened to him? Is he
in prison too?"
"No, he is not in prison, Jeanne," Harry said,
"but he is very ill." And he related the whole cir-
cumstances of Victor's fever. "I blamed myself
awfully at first for having hit him so hard, as you
may suppose, Jeanne; but the doctor thinks it made


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
207
might help her to get out then. From what I hear
the prisoners are not separated, but all live to-
gether."
"No, no, Harry," Jeanne exclaimed in a tone of
sharp pain, "you must not do that of all things.
We have only you, and if you are once in prison
you might never get out again; besides, there are
lots of other prisons, and there is no reason why
they should send you to La Force rather than any-
where else. No, I will never consent to that plan."
"I thought it seemed too doubtful myself," Harry
said. "Of course, if I knew that they would send
me to La Force, I might risk it. I could hide a file
and a steel saw about me, and might cut through the
bars; but, as you say, there is no reason why they
should send me there rather than anywhere else. I
would kill that villain who arrested her—the
scoundrel, after being a guest at the chateau!—but
I don't see as that would do your sister any good, and
would probably end in my being shut up. The
most hopeful plan seems to me to try and bribe
some of the warders. Some of them, no doubt,
would be glad enough to take money if they could
see their way to letting her out without fear of
detection."
"But you know we thought of that before,
Harry, and agreed it would be a terrible risk to try


208
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR
it, for the very first man you spoke to might turn
round on you."
"Of course there is a certain risk, Jeanne, any-
way. There is no getting a prisoner out of La Force
without running some sort of risk; the thing is to
fix on as safe a plan as we can. However, we must
think it out well before we do try. A failure would
be fatal, and I do not think there is any pressing
danger just at present. It is hardly likely there
will be any repetition of the wholesale work of the
2d of September; and if they have anything like a
trial of the prisoners, there are such numbers of
them, so many arrested every day, that it may be a
long time before they come to your sister. I do
not mean that we should trust to that, only that
there is time for us to make our plans properly.
Have you thought of anything?"
"I have thought of all sorts of things since you
left us this morning, Harry, but they are like yours,
just vague sort of schemes that do not seem possi-
ble when you try to work them out. I do not know
whether they let you inside the prisons to sell
everything to the prisoners, because if they did I
might go in with something and see Marie, and find
out how she could be got out."
Harry shook his head.
"I do not think any one would be allowed in like
t


m THK REIGN OF TERROR. 209
that, bat if they did it would only be a few to whom
the privilege would be granted."
"Yes, I thought of that, Harry ; but one of them
might be bribed perhaps to let me take her place."
"It might be possible," Harry said, "but there
would be a terrible risk, and I don't think any ad-
vantage to compensate for it. Even if you did get
to her and spoke to her, we should still be no nearer
to getting her out. Still we mustn't be disheart-
ened. "We can hardly expect to hit upon a scheme
at once, and I don't think either of our heads is
very clear to-day; let us think it over quietly, and
perhaps some other idea may occur to one of us—I
expect it will be to you. Now, good-night; keep
your courage up. I rely very much upon you,
Jeanne, and you don't know what a comfort it is to
me that you are calm and brave, and that 1 can
talk things over to you. I don't know what I
should do if I had it all on my own shoulders."
Jeanne made no answer, but her eyes were full of
tears as she put her hands into Harry's, and no
sound came from her lips in answer to his good-
night.
"That girl's a trump, and no mistake," Harry said
to himself as he descended the stairs. "She has got
more pluck than most women, and is as cool and
calm as if she were twice her age. Most girls would


210 Of TBE REIGN OE TERROR.
be quite knocked over if they were in her place. Her
father and mother murdered, her sister in the hands
of these wretches, and danger hanging over herself
and Virginie! It isn't that she doesn't feel it. I
can see she does, quite as much, if not more, than
people who would sit down and howl and wring
their hands. She is a trump, Jeanne is, and no mis-
take. And now about Marie. She must be got out
somehow, but how? that is the question. I really
don't see any possible way except by bribing her
guards, and I haven't the least idea how tj set about
that. I think to-morrow I will tell Jacques and his
wife all about it; they may know some of these men,
though it isn't likely that they do; anyhow, three
heads are better than one."
Accordingly, next morning he took the kind-
hearted couple into his counsel. When they heard
that the young lady who had been arrested was the
fiancee of their sick lodger they were greatly inter-
ested, but they shook their heads when he told them
that he was determined at all hazards to get her out
of prison.
"It isn't the risk so much," Jacques said, "that I
look at. Life doesn't seem of so much account in
these days; but how could it be done? Even if you
made up your mind to be killed, I don't see that you
would put her a bit nearer to getting out of prison;


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
211
the place is too strong to break into or to break
out of."
"No, I don't think it is possible to succeed in that
sort of way; but if the men who have the keys of
the corridors could be bribed, and the guard at the
gate put soundly to sleep by drugging their drink,
it might be managed."
Jacques looked sharply at Harry to see if he was
in earnest, and seeing that he was so, said dryly:
"Yes, if we could do those things we should, no
doubt, see our way ; but how could it be managed V
"That is just the point, Jacques. In the first
place it will be necessary to find out in which cor-
ridor Mademoiselle de St. Caux is confined; in the
second, to let her know that we are working for
her, and to learn, if possible, from her whether,
among those in charge of her, there is one man who
shows some sort of feeling of pity and kindness;
when that is done we should, of course, try to get
hold of him. Of course, he doesn't remain in the
prison all day. However, we can see about that
after we have found out the first points."
"I know a woman who is sister to one of the
warders," Elise Medart said. "I don't know whether
he is there now or whether he has been turned out.
Martha is a good soul, and I know that sometimes
she has been inside the prison, I suppose to see her


212
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
brother, for before the troubles the warders used to
get out only once a month. What her brother is
like I don't know, but if he is like her he would, I
think, be just the man to help you."
"Yes," Jacques assented, "I didn't think of
Martha. She is a good soul and would do her best,
I am sure."
"Thank you both," Harry said; but I do not
wish you to run any risks. You have already in-
curred the greatest danger by sheltering my friend;
I cannot let you hazard your lives further. This
woman may, as you say, be ready to help us, but
her brother might betray the whole of us, and
screen his sister by saying she had only pretended
to enter into the plot in order to betray it."
"We all risk our lives every day," Jacques said
quietly. "I am sure we can trust Martha, and she
will know whether she can rely completely upon her
brother. If she can, we will set her to sound him.
Elise will go and see her to day, and you shall know
what she thinks of it when you come this evening
for your night's watching."
Greatly pleased with this unexpected stroke of
luck,- Harry went off at once to tell Jeanne that the
outline of a plan to rescue Marie had been fixed
upon.
The girl's pale face brightened up at the news.


m THE REIGN OF TERROR.
213
"Perhaps," she said, " we may be able to send a
letter in to her. I should like so to send her just a
line to say that Virginie and I are well. Do you
think it can be done?"
"I do not know, Jeanne. At any rate you can
rely that, if it is possible and all goes well, she shall
have it; but be sure and give no clue by which they
might find you out, if the letter falls into wrong
hands. Tell her we are working to get her free, and
ask if she can suggest any way of escape; knowing
the place she may see opportunities of which we
know nothing. Write it very small, only on a tiny
piece of paper, so that a man can hide it anywhere,
slip it into her hand, or put it in her ration of
bread."
Jeanne wrote the little note—a few loving words,
and the message Harry had given her.
"Do not sign your name to it," Harry said;" she
will know well enough who it comes from, and it is
better in case it should fall into any one else's
hands."
That evening Harry learned that the woman had
consented to sound her brother, who was still em-
ployed in the prison. She had said she was sure
that he would not betray her even if he refused to
aid in the plan.
"I am to see her to-morrow morning," Elise said


214 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
"She will go straight from me to the prison. She
says discipline is not nearly so strict as it used to be.
There is a very close watch kept over the prisoners,
but friends of the guards can go in and out without
trouble, except that on leaving they have to be ac-
companied by the guard to the door, so as to be sure
that no one is passing out in disguise. She says her
brother is good-natured but very fond of money.
He is always talking of retiring and settling down
on a farm in Brittany, where he comes from, and
she thinks that if he thought he could gain enough
to do this he would be ready to run some risk, for
he hates the terrible things that are being done
now."
"He seems just the man for us," Harry said.
"Will you tell your friend, when you see her in the
morning, that I will give her twenty louis and her
brother a hundred if he can succeed in getting
Marie out?"
"I will tell them, sir. That offer will set his wits
to work, I have no doubt."
Harry then gave her the note Jeanne had writ-
ten, for the woman to hand to her brother for de-
livery if he proved willing to enter into their plan.
Harry had a quiet night of watching, for Victor lay
so still that his friend several times leaned over
him to see if he breattfed. The doctor had looked
in late and said that the crisis was at hand.


IN TBE RfilGN OP TERROR.
215
"To-morrow your friend will either sink or he
will turn the corner. He is asleep now and will
probably sleep for many hours. He may never
wake again; he may wake, recognize you for a few
minutes, and then go off in a last stupor; he may
"wake stronger and with a chance of life. Here is a
draught that you will give him as soon as he opens
his eyes; pour besides three or four spoonfuls of
soup down his throat, and if he keeps awake do the
same every half hour."
It was not until ten o'clock in the morning that
Victor opened his eyes. He looked vaguely round
the room and there was no recognition in his eyes
as they fell upon Harry's face, but they had lost the
wild expression they had worn while he had lain
there, and Harry felt renewed hope as he lifted his
head and poured the draught between his lips.
Then he gave him a few spoonfuls of soup and had
the satisfaction of seeing his eyes close again and
his breathing become more and more regular.
The doctor, when he came in and felt Victor's
pulse, nodded approval.
"The fever has quite left him," he said, "I think
he will do now. It will be slow, very slow, but I
think he will regain his strength; as to his mind, of
that I can say nothing at present."
About midday Elise returned.


216
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
"I have good news, monsieur," she said at once.
"I waited outside the prison till Martha came out.
Her brother has agreed to help if he can, but he said
that he did not think that it would be at all possible
to get mademoiselle out. There are many of the
men of the faubourgs mixed up with the old
warders, and there is the greatest vigilance to ensure
that none escape. There would be many doors to
be opened, and the keys are all held by different
persons. He says he will think it over, and if it is
any way possible he will risk it. But he wishes first
of all to declare that he does not think that any way
of getting her out can be discovered. He will give
ner the note on the first opportunity, and get an
answer from her, which he will send to his sister as
soon as he gets a chance."
"That is all we can expect," Harry said joyfully.
"I did not expect that it would be an easy business,
or that the man would be able to hit upon a scheme
at once; but now that he has gone so far as to agree
to carry notes, the thought that he may, if he suc-
ceeds, soon have his little farm in Brittany, will
sharpen his wits up wonderfully."
It was three days before an answer came from
Marie. Jacques handed it to Harry when he came
to take his turn by Victor's bedside. Victor was
better; he was no longer unconscious, but followed


IN TM ttEtGN OF TMBO&.
21?
with his eyes the movements of those in the room.
Once he had said, " Where am I?" but the answer
"You are with friends; you have been ill; you shall
hear all about it when you get stronger," had ap-
parently satisfied him. At Harry he looked with
doubtful recognition. He seemed to remember the
face, but to have no further idea about it, and even
when Harry said cheerfully:
"Don't you remember your friend Harry, Victor?"
he had shaken his head in feeble negative.
"I expect it will all come back to him," Jacques
said, "as he gets stronger; and after all it is much
better that he should remember nothing at present.
It will be quite time enough for that when he is
better able to stand it."
"I agree with you there," Harry said, "and I am
really glad that he did not remember me, for had he
done so the past might have come back at once and,
feeble as he is, that would have completely knocked
him over."
Upon the receipt of Marie's note Harry at once
started off at full speed and soon had the satisfaction
of handing it to Jeanne.
She tore it open.
"Do you not know what it is, Harry?"
"How could I?" Harry replied. "As you see
the letter is addressed to you. Of course I should
not think of looking at it."


218 IN THE BEIGN OF TERROR.
"Why not? You are as much interested in it as
I am. Sit down between me and Virginie and let
us read it together. Why, it is quite a long epistle."
It was written in pencil upon what was evidently
a fly-leaf of a book, and ran as follows:
"My darling Jeanne and Virginie, you can
imagine what joy I felt when I received your little
note to-day and heard that you were still safe. I
could hardly believe my senses when, on opening
the little ball of paper which one of our guards
thrust into my hand, I found that it was from you,
and that you were both safe and well. I am
writing this crouched down on the ground behind
our guards, but I can only write a few lines at a time,
lest I should be detected. Tell our good friend that
I fear there is little chance of escape. We are
watched night and day. We are locked up at night,
three or four together, in little cells, but in the day
we are in a common hall.
"It is a strange mixture. Here are many of the
best blood in France, together with deputies, advo-
cates, and writers. We may talk together as much as
we like, and soirietimes even a joke and a laugh are
heard. Every day some names are called out, and
these go and we never see them again. Do not fret
about me, my dear sisters, we are all in God's hands.
If it is his will, we shall be saved; if not, we must
face bravely whatever comes.
"It is a day since I wrote last. A strange thing
has happened which will make your blood boil,
Jeanne, as it has made mine. I was called out this
morning to a little room where questions are
sometimes asked us, and who do you think was
Madame de Vij

and so hidden from the sight of


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
219
there? M. Lebat, the son of the mayor of Dijon—
the man who denounced and arrested me. What do
you think the wretch had the insolence to say?
That he loved me, and that if I would consent to
marry him he could save me. He said that his in-
fluence would suffice, not only to get me free but to
obtain for me some of our estates, and he told me he
would give me time to consider his offer, but that I
must remember that nothing could save me if I re-
fused. What do you think I did, Jeanne? Some-
thing very unladylike, I am afraid. I made a step
closer to him, and then I gave him a slap on the
face which made my fingers tingle, then I made him
a deep courtesy and said,' That is my answer, Mon-
sieur Lebat,' and walked into the great hall again.
"But do not let me waste a line of this last
Erecious letter that I may be able to write to you
y saying more about this wretch. I can see no
possible way of escape, dears, so do not buoy your-
selves up with hope. I have none. Strange as it
may seem to you we are not very unhappy here.
There are many of our old friends and some of the
deputies of the Gironde, who used to attend our
salon. We keep up each other's courage. We talk
of other things just as if we were in a drawing-
room, and when the list is called out of a morning,
those who are named say good-by bravely; there
is seldom a tear shed.
"So do not think of me as wretched or unhappy
in these last days. And now, my sisters, I must
say adieu. You must trust yourselves entirely to
our brave English friend, as you would trust a
brother. He will do all that is possible to take you
out of this unhappy land and conduct you to Eng-
land, where you will find Victor, Monsieur du
Tillet, and your brothers, who have. I trust, weeks
ago arrived there in safety. Thank our friend from


220 Ht THE REIGN OF TERROR.
>
me and from our dead parents for his goodness and
devotion. That your lives may be happy, my dear
sisters, will be the last prayer of your loving
Marie."
Inside the letter was another tiny note addressed
for Jeanne, "Private." Having read the other,
Jeanne took the little note and walking to the win-
dow opened it. As she did so a burning flush of
color swept across her face to her very brow. She
folded it carefully again and stood looking through
the window silently for another quarter of an hour
before she came back to the table.
"What is it, Jeanne?" Virginie asked; "have
you been crying, Jeanne dear? you look so flushed.
You must not fret. Harry says we must not give
up hope, for that he believes he may hit upon some
plan for saving Marie yet. He says it's only natural
that she should think there was no means of getting
away, out it was only what he expected. It is we
who must invent^omething."
"Yes, dear, we will try," Jeanne said with a
quiver in her lip, and then she suddenly burst into
tears.
"You mustn't give way, Jeanne," Harry said,
when she recovered herself a little. "You know
how much I trust to your advice; if you were to
break down I should lose heart. Do not think of


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
221
Marie's letter as a good-by. I have not lost hope
yet, by a long way. Why, we have done wonders
already in managing to get a letter in to her and to
have her reply. I consider half the difficulty is over
now we have a friend in there."
"I will try not to break down again," Jeanne
said; "it is not often I give way, but to-day I do
not feel quite myself, and this letter finished me.
You will see I shall be all right to-morrow."
"I hope so," Harry said as he rose to leave; "but
I think you had better ask Louise to give you some-
thing—your hands are hot and your cheeks are
quite flushed, and you look to me as if you were
feverish. Good-night, dears!" /
"I do hope Jeanne is not going to break down,"
Harry said as he walked toward his lodging. "If
she were to get laid up now that would be the
finishing touch to the whole affair; but perhaps, as
she says, she will be all right in the morning.
No doubt in that note Marie wrote as if she were
sure of dying, and such a letter as that would be
enough to upset any girl, even such a plucky one as
Jeanne.
"However, it is of Marie I must think now. It
was a brave letter of hers; it is clear she has given
up all hope. This is a bad business about the
scoundrel Lebat. I used to wonder why he parae


222 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
so often to the chateau on business that could have
been done just as well by a messenger. He saw
how things were going, and thought that when the
division of the estates came he might get a big
slice. However, it's most unfortunate that he
should have had this interview with Marie in the
prison. If it had not been for that it might have
been months before her turn came for trial. As it
is, no doubt Lebat will have her name put down
at once in the list of those for trial, if such a farce
can be called a trial, and will then see that no time
is lost before it appears on that fatal list for
execution.
"He will flatter himself, of course, that when
the last moment comes, and she sees that there is
no hope whatever, she will change her mind.
There is one thing, if she is murdered I will kill him
as I would a dog, for he will be her murderer just
as much as if he had himself cut her throat. I would
do it at once if it were not for the girls. I must not
run any unnecessary risks; at any rate I need not
think of him now; the one thing at present is to
get Marie out."
Turning this over in his mind, he walked about
for some hours, scarce noticing where he was going.
It seemed to him that there must be some way of
getting Marie out if he could only hit upon it. He


IN TEE REIGN OF TERROR.
223
turned over in his mind every escape he had ever
read of, but in most of these the prisoner had been a
man, capable of using tools passed in to him to saw
through iron bars, pierce walls or overcome jailers;
some had been saved by female relatives, wives or
daughters, who went in and exchanged clothes and
places with them, but this was not feasible here.
This was not a prison where relatives could call
upon friends, for to be a relative or friend of a
prisoner was quite sufficient in the eyes of the
terrorists to mark any one as being an enemy of
the republic.
He was suddenly roused from his reverie by a
cry, and beneath the dim light of a lantern, sus-
pended over the narrow street, he saw a man feebly
defending himself against two others. He sprang
forward just as the man fell, and with his stick
struck a sharp blow on the uplifted wrist of one of
the assailants, sending the knife he was holding
flying through the air. The other turned upon
him, but he drew the pistol which he always carried
beneath his clothes, and the two men at once took
to their heels. Harry replaced his pistol and
stooped over the fallen man.
"Are you badly hurt?" he asked.
"No, I think not, but I do not know. I think I
slipped down; but they would have killed me had
you not arrived/4"


224 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
"Well, let me get you to your feet," Harry said,
holding out his hands, but with a feeling of some
disgust at the abject fear expressed in the tones of
the man's voice. He was indeed trembling so that
even when Harry hauled him to his feet he could
scarcely stand."
"You had better lean against the wall for a min-
ute or two to recover yourself," Harry said. "I see
you have your coat cut on the shoulder, and are
bleeding pretty freely, but it is nothing to be fright-
ened about. If you will give me your handkerchief
I will bind it up for you."
Harry unbuttoned the man's coat, for his hands
shook so much that he was unable to do so, pulled
the arm out of the sleeve, and tied the bandage
tightly round the shoulder. The man seemed to
belong to the bourgeois class, and evidently was
careful as to his attire, which was neat and precise.
His linen and the ruffles of his shirt were spotlessly
white and of fine material. The short-waisted coat
was of olive-green cloth, with bright metal buttons;
the waistcoat, extending far below the coat, was a
light-buff color, brocaded with a small pattern of
flowers. When he had bound the wound Harry
helped him on with his coat again. He was by this
time recovering himself.
"Oh, these aristocrats," he murmured, "how they
hate me!"


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
225
The words startled Harry. What was this 1 He
had not interfered, as he had supposed, to prevem
the robbery of some quiet citizen by the ruffians of
the streets. It was a political assassination that had
been attempted—a vengeance by Eoyalists upon one
of the men of the Revolution. He looked more
closely at the person whose life he had saved. He
had a thin and insignificant figure—his face was
pale and looked like that of a student. It seemed
to Harry that he had seen it before, but where he
could not say. His first thought was one of regret
that he had interfered to save one of the men of the
2d of September; then the thought flashed through
his mind that there might be some benefit to be
derived from it.
"Young man," the stranger said, "will you give
me your arm and escort me home. You have saved
my life; it is a humble one, but perhaps it is of some
value to France. I live but two streets away. It
is not often I am out alone, for I have many ene-
mies, but I was called suddenly out on business,
though I have no doubt now the message was a
fraudulent one, designed simply to put me into the
hands of my foes."
The man spoke in a thin hard voice, which in-
spired Harry, he knew not why, with a feeling of
repulsion; he had certainly heard it before. He


226 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
offered him his arm and walked with him to his
door.
"Come up, 1 beg you," the stranger said.
He ascended to the second floor and rang at the
bell. A woman with a light opened it.
"Why, my brother," she exclaimed on seeing his
face, "you are ill! Has anything happened?"
"I have been attacked in the street," he said,
"but 1 am not hurt, though, had it not been for
this citizen, it would have gone hardly with me.
You have to thank him for having saved your
brother's life."
They had entered a sitting-room now. It was
plainly but very neatly furnished. There were some
birds in cages, which, late though the hour was,
hopped on their perches and twittered when they
heard the master's voice, and he responded with
two or three words of greeting to them.
"Set the supper," he said to his sister; "the citi-
zen will take a meal with us. You know who I am,
I suppose?" he said to Harry.
"No," Harry replied. "I have a recollection of
your face and voice, but I cannot recall where I
have met you."
"I am Robespierre," he said.
Harry gave a start of surprise. This man whom
he had saved was he whom he had so often exe-


W THE REIGN OF TERROR.
m
crated—one of the leaders of those who had deluged
France with blood—the man who, next only to
Marat, was hated and feared by the Royalists of
France. His first feeling was one of loathing and
hatred, but at the same moment there flashed
through his mind the thought that chance had
favored him beyond his hopes, and that the comedy
which he had planned with Victor to carry out
upon the person of Marat had come to pass without
premeditation, but with Robespierre as the chief
actor.
But so surprised and so delighted was he that for
a minute he sat unable to say a word. Robespierre
was gratified at the effect which his name had pro-
duced. His was a strangely mixed character—at
once timid and bold, shrinking from personal danger,
yet ready to urge the extremest measures. Simple
in his tastes, and yet very vain and greedy of ap-
plause. Domestic and affectionate in his private
character, but ready to shed a river of blood in his
public capacity. Pure in morals; passionless in his
resolves; incorruptible and inflexible; the more
dangerous because he had neither passion nor hate;
because he had not, like Danton and Marat, a lust
for blood, but because human life to him was as
nothing, because had he considered it necessary that
half France should die for the benefit of the other


228 Of TBE &EIGX OP1 fB&ROR.
half he would have signed their death-warrant
without emotion or hesitation.
"You are surprised, young man," he said, "but
the ways of fate are inscrutible. The interposition
of a youth has thwarted the schemes of the enemies
of France. Had you been but ten seconds later I
should have ceased to be, and one of the humble in-
struments by whicb fate is working for the regener-
ation of the people would have perished."
While Robespierre was speaking Harry had rap-
idly thought over the role which it would be best
for him to adopt. Should he avow his real charac-
ter and ask for an order for the liberation of Marie
as a recompense for the service he had rendered
Robespierre, or should he retain his present charac-
ter and obtain Robespierre's confidence? There
was danger in an open appeal, for, above all things,
Robespierre prided himself upon his incorruptibility,
and he might consider that to free a prisoner for
service rendered to himself would be a breach of
his duty to France. He resolved, therefore, to keep
silence at present, reserving an appeal to Robes-
pierre's gratitude for the last extremity.
"Pardon me, monsieur," he said, after he had
rapidly arrived at this conclusion; "my emotion
was naturally great at finding that I had unwit-
tingly been the means of saving the life of one on


230
IN THE RE1QN OF TERROR
CHAPTER X.
FREE.
Robespierre chatted continuously as the meal
went on, and Harry asked himself in astonishment
whether he was in a dream, and if this man before
him, talking about his birds, his flowers, and his
life before he came to Paris, could really be the
dreaded Robespierre. After the meal was over his
host said:
"As yet I am ignorant of the name of my pre-
server."
"My name is Henry Sandwith," Harry replied.
"It is not a French name," Robespierre said in
surprise.
"I am of English parentage," Harry said quietly,
"but have been resident for some years in France.
I was for some time in the service of the ci-devant
Marquis de St. Caux; but since the break-up of his
household I have been shifting for myself as best I
could, living chiefly on the moneys I had earned in


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
231
service, and on the lookout for any employment
that may offer."
"England is our enemy," Robespierre said,
raising his voice angrily; "the enemy of free
institutions and liberty."
"I know nothing about English politics," Harry
replied with a smile; "nor indeed about any
politics. I am but little past eighteen, and so that
I can earn my living I do not ask whether my
employer is a patriot or an aristocrat. It is quite
trouble enough to earn one's living without bother-
ing one's head about politics. If you can put me in
the way of doing so I shall consider that I am well
repaid for the little service I rendered you."
"Assuredly I will do so," Robespierre said. "I
am a poor man, you know. I do not put my hand
into the public purse, and I and my sister live as
frugally as we did when we first came to Paris from
Arras. My only gains have been the hatred of the
aristocrats and the love of the people. But though
I have not money, I have influence, and I promise
to use it on your behalf. Until I hear of something
suitable you can, if you will, work here with me,
and share what I possess. My correspondence is
very heavy. I am overwhelmed with letters from
the provinces begging me to inquire into griev-
ances and redress wrongs. Can you read and write


232
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
well?" for from Harry's words he supposed that he
had held some menial post in the household of the
Marquis de St. Caux.
"Yes, I can read and write fairly," Harry said.
"And are you acquainted with the English
tongue?"
"I know enough of it to read it," Harry said. "I
spoke it when I was a child."
"If you can read it that will do," Robespierre
said. "There are English papers sent over, and I
should like to hear for myself what this perfidious
people say of us, and there are few here who can
translate the language. Do you accept my
proposal?"
"Willingly," Harry said.
"Very well, then, come here at nine o'clock in
the morning. But mind you are only filling the
post of my secretary until I can find something
better for you to do."
"The post will be a better one some day, Mon-
sieur Robespierre. Ere long you will be the great-
est man in France, and the post of secretary will be
one which may well be envied."
"Ah, I see you know how to flatter," Robespierre
said with a smile, much gratified nevertheless with
Harry's words. "You must remember that I crave
no dignities, that I care only for the welfare of
France."


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 233
"I know, monsieur, that you are called 'Kobes-
pierre the Incorruptible,'" Harry said, "but, never-
theless, you belong to France, and France will
assuredly see that some day you have such a reward
as you richly merit."
"There was no untruth in that," Harry said to
himself as he made his way downstairs. "These
human tigers will meet their doom when France
comes to her senses. He is a strange contrast, this
man; but I suppose that even the tiger is a domes-
tic animal in his own family. His food almost
choked me, and had I not known that Marie's fate
depends upon my calmness, I should assuredly have
broken out and told this dapper little demagogue
my opinion of him. But this is glorious! What
news I shall have to give the girls in the morning!
If I cannot ensure Marie's freedom now I should be
a bungler indeed. Had I had the planning of the
events of this evening they could not have turned
out better for us."
It was the first time that Harry had called at
Louise Moulin's as early as eight o'clock in the
morning, and Jeanne leaped up as he entered.
"What is it, Harry? You bring us some news,
don't you?"
"I do indeed, Jeanne; capital news. Whom do
you think I had supper with last night 2"


234
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
"Had sapper with, Harry!" Jeanne repeated.
"What do you mean! How can I guess whom you
had supper with?"
"I am sure you cannot guess, Jeanne, so I will
not puzzle your brain. I had supper with Robes-
pierre."
"With Robespierre!" the two girls repeated in
astonishment. "You are not joking, Harry V
Jeanne went on; "but no, you cannot be doing
that; tell us how you came to have supper with
Robespierre."
"My dear Jeanne, I regard it as a special provi-
dence, as an answer from God to your prayers for
Marie. I had the good fortune to save his life."
"Oh, Harry," Jeanne exclaimed, " what happi-
ness! Then Marie's life will be saved."
"I think I can almost promise you that, Jeanne,
though I do not know yet exactly how it's to be
done. But such a piece of good fortune would never
have been sent to me had it not been intended that
we should save Marie. Now sit down quietly, both
of you. and you too, Louise, and let me tell you all
about it, for I have to be with Robespierre again at
nine o'clock."
"Oh, that is fortunate indeed!" Jeanne exclaimed
when he had finished. "Surely he cannot refuse any
request you may make now."


-CV THE REIQN OF TERROR.
238
"If ho does, I must get it out of him somehow,"
Harry said cheerfully. "By fair means or foul I
will get the order for her release."
"But you don't think he can refuse, Harry V
Jeanne asked anxiously.
"I think he may refuse, Jeanne. He is proud of
his integrity and incorruptibility, and I think it
quite possible that he may refuse to grant Marie's
release in return for a benefit done him personally.
However, do not let that discourage you in the
least. As I said, I will have the order by fair
means or foul."
At nine o'clock Harry presented himself in readi-
ness for work, and found that his post would be no
sinecure. The correspondence which he had to go
through was enormous. Bequests for favors, letters
of congratulation on Bobespierre's speeches and mo-
tions in the Assembly, reports of scores of provincial
committees, denunciations of aristocrats, letters of
blame because the work of rooting out the suspects
did not proceed faster, entreaties from friends of
prisoners. All these had to be sorted, read, and
answered.
Bobespierre was, Harry soon found, methodical
in the extreme. He read every letter himself, and not
only gave directions how they were to be answered,
but read through the answers when written, and


IN TBE RBTGN OP TERROR. 237
added two names, and then signed it and sent it
back to the prison. There was another list with the
names of the prisoners to be executed on the follow-
ing day, and this. Harry learned, was not sent in to
the prison authorities until late in the evening, so
that even they were ignorant until the last moment
which of the prisoners were to be called for by the
tumbrils the next morning. Thus he would know
when Marie was to go through the mockery of a
trial, and would also know when her name was put
on the fatal list for the guillotine. The first fact he
might have been able to learn from his ally in the
prison, but the second and most important he could
not have obtained in any other way.
The work had been frequently interrupted by
callers. Members of the Committee of Public
Safety, leaders of the Jacobin and Cordeliers Clubs,
and others, dropped in and asked Robespierre's
advice, or discussed measures to be taken; and after
a day or two Harry found that it was very seldom,
except when taking his meals, that Robespierre was
alone while in the house; and as his sister was in
and out of the room all day, the idea of compelling
him by force to sign the order, as they had origi-
nally intended to do with Marat, was clearly
impracticable.
Each day after his work was over, and this was gen-


238 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
erally completed by about one o'clock, Harry called
to see how Victor was getting on. He was gaining
strength, but his brain appeared to make far less
progress than his bodily health. He did not recog-
nize Harry in the least, and although he would
answer questions that were asked him, his mind ap-
peared a blank as to the past, and he often lay for
hours without speaking a word. After leaving him
Harry met Louise and the two girls at a spot agreed
upon the day before, a fresh meeting-place being
arranged each day. He found it difficult to satisfy
them, for indeed each day he became more and
more doubtful as to his ability to get the order of
release from Robespierre. Toward the man himself
his feelings were of a mixed kind. He shuddered
at the calmness with which, in his letters to the
provincial committees, he advocated wholesale exe-
cutions of prisoners. He wondered at the violence
with which, in his shrill, high-pitched voice, he de-
claimed in favor of the most revolutionary measures.
He admired the simplicity of his life, his affection
for his sister and Bis birds, his kindness of heart in
all matters in which politics were not concerned.
Among Robespierre's vistors during the next
three weeks was Lebat, who was, Harry found, an
important personage, being the representative on
the Committee of Public Safety of the province of


2JV THE REIGN OF TERROR.
239
Burgundy, and one of the most extreme of the fre-
quenters of the Jacobin Club. He did not recog-
nize Harry, whom he had never noticed particularly
on the occasion of his visits to the chateau, and who,
in the somewhat threadbare black suit which he
had assumed instead of the workman's blouse, wrote
steadily at a table apart, taking apparently no
notice of what was going on in the apartment.
But Harry's time was not altogether thrown
away. It was his duty the first thing of a morning
to open and sort the letters and lay them in piles
upon the table used by Robespierre himself, and he
managed every day to slip quietly into his pocket
several of the letters of denunciation against persons
as aristocrats in disguise or as being suspected of
hostility to the Commune. When Robespierre left
him to go to the club or the Assembly Harry would
write short notes of warning in a disguised hand to
the persons named, and would, when he went out,
leave these at their doors. Thus he had the satis-
faction of saving a considerable number of persons
from the clutches of the revolutionists. He would
then, two or three days later, slip the letters of
denunciation, very few of which were dated, among
the rest of the correspondence, satisfied that when
search was made the persons named would already
have shifted their quarters and assumed some other
disguise.


m THE REIGN OP TERROR.
and so break her down that she would be willing
enough to purchase her life by a marriage with him.
There had been some little lull in the work of
blood, for in December all eyes had been turned to
the spectacle of the trial of the king.
From the 10th of August he had remained a close
prisoner in the Temple, watched and insulted by his
ruffian guards, and passing the time in the midst of
his family with a serenity of mind, a calmness and
tranquillity which went far to redeem the blunders
he had made during the preceding three years. The
following is the account written by the princess
royal in her journal of the manner in which the
family passed their days:
"My father rose at seven and said prayers till
eight; then dressing himself he was with my brother
till nine, when he came to breakfast with my mother.
After breakfast my father gave us lessons till
eleven o'clock; and then my brother played till
midday, when we went to walk together, whatever
the weather was, because at that hour they relieved
guard and wished to see us to be sure of our pres-
ence. Our walk was continued till two o'clock,
when we dined. After dinner my father and
mother played at backgammon, or rather pretended
to play, in order to have an opportunity of talking
together for a short time


lit TEE RElGN OF TERROR.
"At four o'clock my mother went upstairs with
us, because the king then usually took a nap. At
six o'clock my brother went down, and my father
gave us lessons till supper at nine. After supper
my mother soon went to bed. We then went up-
stairs, and the king went to bed at eleven. My
mother worked much at. tapestry and made me
study, and frequently read alone. My aunt said
prayers and read the service; she also read many
religious books, usually aloud."
But harmless as was the life of the royal family,
Danton and the Jacobins were determined upon
having their lives. The mockery of the trial com-
menced on the 10th of December. Malesherbes,
Tronchet, and Deseze defended him fearlessly and
eloquently, but it was useless—the king was con-
demned beforehand. Robespierre and Marat led the
assault. The Girondists, themselves menaced and
alarmed, stood neutral; but on the 15th of January
the question was put to the Assembly, " Is Louis
Capet, formerly king of the French, guilty of con-
spiracy and attempt against the general safety of
the state?"
With scarcely a single exception the Assembly re-
turned an affirmative answer, and on the 17th the
final vote was taken. Three hundred and sixty-one
voted for death, two for imprisonment, two hundred


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
243
and eighty-six for detention, banishment, or con-
ditional death, forty-six for death but after a delay,
twenty-six for death but with a wish that the
Assembly should revise the sentence.
Sentence of death was pronounced. After a sit-
ting which lasted for thirty-seven hours there was
another struggle between the advocates of delay
and those of instant execution, but the latter won;
and after parting with noble resignation from his
wife and family, the king, on the 21st, was exe-
cuted. His bearing excited the admiration even of
his bitterest foes.
France looked on amazed and appalled at the act,
for Louis had undoubtedly striven his best to lessen
abuses and to go with the people in the path of re-
form. It was his objection to shed blood,his readiness
to give way, his affection for the people, which had
allowed the revolution to march on its bloody way
without a check. It was the victims—the nobles,
the priests, the delicate women and cultured men—
who had reason to complain; for it was the king's
hatred to resistance which left them at the mercy
of their foes. Louis had been the best friend of the
Eevolution that slew him.
The trial and execution of the king had at least
the good effect of diverting the minds of Jeanne
and Virginie from their own anxieties. Jeanne was


244
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
passionate and Virginie tearful in their sorrow
and indignation. Over and over again Jeanne im-
plored Harry to try to save the king. There were
still many Royalists, and indeed the bulk of the
people were shocked and alienated by the violence
of the Convention; and Jeanne urged that Harry
might, from his connection with Robespierre,
obtain some pass or document which would enable
the king to escape. But Harry refused to make any
attempt whatever on his behalf.
"In the first place, Jeanne, it would be absolutely
impossible for the king, watched as he is, to escape;
and no pass or permit that Robespierre could give
would be of the smallest utility. You must re-
member, that although all apparently unite against
the king, there is a never-ending struggle going on
in the convention between the various parties and
the various leaders. Robespierre is but one of them,
although, perhaps, the most prominent; but could I
wring a pass from him even if only to see the king,
that pass would not be respected.
"In the next place, Jeanne, I have nothing to do
with these struggles in France. I am staying here
to do what little I can to watch over you and
Virginie, for the sake of your dear parents and
because I love you both; and I have also if possible
to rescue Marie from the hands of these murderers.


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
245
The responsibility is heavy enough; and could I,
by merely using Robespierre's name, rescue the ting
and queen and their children and pass them across
the frontier, I would not do it if the act in the
slightest degree interfered with my freedom of
action toward you and Marie."
"But Virginie and I would die for the king!"
Jeanne said passionately.
"Happily, Jeanne," Harry replied coolly, "your
dying would in no respect benefit him; and as your
life is in my eyes of a thousand times more conse-
quence than that of the king, and as your chances
of safety to some extent depend upon mine, I do
not mean to risk one of those chances for the sake
of his majesty. Be&ides, to tell you the truth, I
have a good deal of liking for my own life, and
have a marked objection to losing my head. You
see I have people at home who are fond of me, and
who want to see me back again with that head on
my shoulders."
"I know, Harry; I know," Jeanne said with her
eyes full of tears. "Do not think that I am un-
grateful because I talk so. I am always thinking
how wrong it is that you should be staying here
risking your life for us instead of going home to
those who love you. I think sometimes Virginie
and I ought to give ourselves up, and then you
could go home." And Jeanne burst into tears.


246 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
"My dear Jeanne," Harry said soothingly, "do
not worry yourself about me. It would have been
just as dangerous at the time your father was taken
prisoner for me to have tried to escape from the
country as it was to stay here—in fact, I should say
that it was a good deal more dangerous; and at
present, as Robespierre's secretary, I am in no dan-
ger at all. It is a little disagreeable certainly serv-
ing a man whom one regards in some respects as
being a sort of wild beast; but at the same time, in
his own house, I am bound to say, he is a very
decent kind of man and not at all a bad fellow to
get on with.
"As to what I have done for you, so far as I see
I have done nothing beyond bringing you here in
the first place, and coming to have a pleasant chat
with you every evening. Nor, with the best will in
the world, have I been able to be of the slightest
assistance to Marie. As we say at home, my in-
tentions are good; but so far the intentions have
borne no useful fruit whatever. Come, Jeanne, dry
your eyes, for it is not often that I have seen you
cry. We have thrown in our lot together, and we
shall swim or sink in company.
"You keep up my spirits and I keep up yours.
Don't let there be any talk about gratitude. There
will be time enough for that if I ever get you safely


IN TSB RMGN OF TERROR.
to England. Then, perhaps, I may send in my bill
and ask for payment."
Harry spoke lightly, and Jeanne with a great
effort recovered her composure; and after that, al-
though the trial and danger of the king were
nightly discussed and lamented, she never said a
word as to any possibility of the catastrophe being
averted.
One day toward the end of February, Harry felt
a thrill run through him as, on glancing over the
list of persons to be tried on the following day, he
saw the name of Marie, daughter of the ci-devant
Marquis de St. Caux. Although his knowledge of
Robespierre's character gave him little ground for
hope, he determined upon making a direct appeal.
"I see, citizen," he said—for such was the mode
of address universal at that time—" that among the
list of persons to be tried is the name of Marie de
St. Caux."
"Say Marie Caux," Robespierre said reprovingly.
"You know de and St. are both forbidden prefixes.
Yes; what would you say about her V
"I told you, citizen, upon the first night when I
came here, that I had been in the service of the
father of this female citizen. Although I know
now that he was one of those who lived upon the
blood of the people, I am bound to say that he al-


248 nr tmb reigi? op terror.
ways treated his dependants kindly. His daughter
also showed me many marks of kindness, and this I
would now fain return. Citizen, I did you some
service on the night when we first met; and I ask
you now, as a full quittance for that aid, that you
will grant me the freedom of this young woman.
Whatever were the crimes of her father, she cannot
have shared in them. She is young, and cannot do
harm to any; therefore I implore you to give me
her life."
"I am surprised at your request," Robespierre
said calmly. "This woman belongs to a race who
have for centuries oppressed France, and it is better
that they should perish altogether. If she can con-
vince the tribunal that she is innocent of all crime,
undoubtedly she will be spared; but I cannot, only
on account of the obligation I am under to you, in-
terfere on her behalf; such an act would be treason
to the people, and I hope you know me well enough
by this time to be aware that nothing whatever
would induce me to allow my private inclinations to
interfere with the course of justice. Ask of me all
I have, it is little enough, but it is yours; but this
thing I cannot grant you."
For a moment Harry was on the point of bursting
out indignantty, but he checked himself and without
a word went on with his writing, although tears


12? THIS REIGN OF TERROR. 249
of disappointment for a time almost blinded him;
but he felt it would be hopeless to urge the point
further, and that did he do so he might forfeit the
opportunity he now had of learning what was
going on.
Another month passed before the name appeared
on the fatal list. In the meantime Harry had cor-
responded regularly with Marie by means of the
warder, and had even once seen her and exchanged
a few words with her, having been sent by Robes-
pierre with a letter to the governor of the prison.
Marie was greatly changed: her color had faded
away, the former somewhat haughty air and car-
riage had disappeared, and there was an expression
of patient resignation on her face. Harry had only
the opportunity to whisper to her "Hope always,
all is not lost yet." He had spent hours each day
in his lodging imitating the signature of Robes-
pierre, and he had made up his mind that, should
all other efforts fail, he would boldly present him-
self at the prison with an order for Marie's release,
with Robespierre's signature forged at the bottom.
He thought he could write it now plainly enough
for it tc pass; his fear was that the prison author-
ities would not act upon it unless presented by a
well-known official personage without first sending
to Robespierre to have it verified.


250 Of THE BMQN OF TFUlttOR.
Still but little change had taken place in Victor
de Gisons' condition. He remained in a state almost
of lethargy, with an expression of dull hopelessness
on his face; sometimes he passed his hand wearily
across his forehead as if he were trying to recollect
something he had lost; he was still too weak to
stand, but Jacques and his wife would dress him
and place him on a couch which Harry purchased
for his use. The worthy couple ran no risk now,
for the sharpest spy would fail to recognize in the
bowed-down invalid, with vacant face, the once
brilliant Victor de Gisons.
Harry had many talks with Jeanne concerning
him. "What should we do, Harry," the girl said
over and over again, "if we could get Marie away
and all get safe together to England, which I begin
to despair now of our ever doing, but if we should
do it what should we say to Marie? She thinks
Victor is safe there. Only the other day, as you
know, she sent us out a letter to him. What would
she say when she learned on her arrival in England
that Victor has all this time been lying broken down
and in suffering in Paris?"
To this question Harry, for a long time, could
give no answer. At last he said, "I have been
thinking it over, Jeanne, and I feel that we have no
right to take Marie away without her knowing the


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
251
truth about Victor. His misfortunes have come
upon him because he would stop in Paris to watch
over her. I feel now that she has the right, if she
chooses, of stopping in Paris to look after him."
"Oh, Harry, you would never think of our going
away and leaving her!"
"I don't know, Jeanne, if it would not be best.
She could stay in the disguise of a peasant girl with
Jacques and his wife; they would give out that she
was Victor's sister who had come to nurse him. I
have great hopes that her voice and presence would
do what we have failed to do, namely, awaken him
from his sad state of lethargy. They could stay
there for months until these evil days are over.
Jacques' workmen friends are accustomed now to
Victor being with him, and there is no chance of
any suspicion arising that he is not what he seems
to be, a workman whom Jacques picked up injured
and insensible on that terrible night. It would
seem natural that his sister or his fiancee—Marie
could pass for whichever she chose—should come
and help take care of him."
"Then if she can stop in Paris with Victor, of
oourse we can stop with Louise?"
"I am afraid not," Harry said. "Every day the
search for suspects becomes stricter; every day
people are being seized and called upon to produce


262 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
the papers proving their identity; and I fear,
Jeanne, there is no hope of permanent safety for
you save in flight."
It was just a month from the mock trial, at which
Marie had been found guilty and sentenced to
death that Harry received a double shock. Among
the letters of denunciation was the following: "Citi-
zen, I know that you watch over the state. I
would have you know that for more than seven
months two girls have been dwelling with one
Louise Moulin of 15 Rue Michel; there were three
of them, but the eldest has disappeared. This, in
itself, is mysterious; the old woman herself was a
servant in the family of the ci-devant Marquis de
St. Caux. She gives out that the girls are relatives
of hers, but it is believed in the neighborhood that
they are aristocrats in disguise. They receive
many visits from a young man of whom no one
knows anything."
Harry felt the color leave his cheeks, and his hand
shook as he hastily abstracted the note, and he could
scarcely master the meaning of the next few letters
he opened.
This was a sudden blow for which he was unpre-
pared. He could not even think what was best to
be done. However, saying to himself that he had
at any rate a few days before him, he resolutely put


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
253
the matter aside, to be thought over when he was
alone, and proceeded with his work. After a time he
came to the list of those marked out for execution
on the following day, and saw with a fresh pang
the name of Marie de St. Caux.
So the crisis had arrived. That night or never
Marie must be rescued, and his plan of forging
Robespierre's signature must be put into effect that
day. He opened the next few papers mechanically,
but steadied himself upon Robespierre asking him a
question. For a time he worked on; but his brain
was swimming, and he was on the point of saying
that he felt strangely unwell, and must ask to be
excused his work for that day, when he heard a
ring at the bell, and a moment later Lebat entered
the room.
"I have just come from the tribunal, citizen," he
said, "and have seen the list for to-morrow. I have
come to you, as I know you are just, and abhor the
shedding of innocent blood. There is among the
number a young girl who is wholly innocent. I
know her well, for she comes from my province, and
her father's chateau was within a few miles of
Dijon. Although her father was a furious aristo-
crat, her heart was always with the people. She
was good to the poor, and was beloved by all the
tenants on the estate. It is not just that she should


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 255
"Thank you, citizen," he said to Robespierre.
"It is an act of justice which I relied upon from
your well-known character. I promise you that
your clemency will not be misplaced, and that she
will become a worthy citizen. May I ask," he said,
"how it is that your secretary, whose face seems
familiar to me, is interested in this young woman
also?"
"It is simple enough," Robespierre replied. "He
was in the service of her father."
"Oh, I remember now," Lebat said. "He is
English. I wonder, citizen, that you should give
your confidence to one of that treacherous nation."
"He saved my life," Robespierre replied coldly;
"a somewhat good ground, you will admit, for
placing confidence in him."
"Assuredly," Lebat said hastily, seeing that
Robespierre was offended. "And now, citizen, there
is another matter of importance on which I wish to
confer with you."
Harry rose.
"Citizen, I will ask you to excuse me from further
work to-day. My head aches badly, and I can scarce
see what I am writing."
"I thought you were making some confusion of
my papers," Robespierre said kindly. "By all
means put aside your work."


256 Of THE REIGN OF TERROR.
On leaving the room Harry ran up to the attic
above, which he had occupied since he had entered
Robespierre's service, rapidly put on the blue blouse
and pantaloons which he had formerly worn, pulled
his cap well down over his eyes, and hurried down
stairs. He stationed himself some distance along
the street and waited for Lebat to come out.
Rapidly thinking the matter over, he concluded that
the man would not present himself with the order
of release until after dark, in order that if Marie
struggled or tried to make her escape it would be
unnoticed in the street. Lebat had calculated, of
course, that on the presentation of the order the
prison officials would at once lead Marie to the gates
whether she wished it or not, and would, at his
order, force her into a vehicle, when she would be
completely in his power, and he could confine her in
his own house or elsewhere until she consented to be
his wife.
A quarter of an hour later Lebat came out of the
house and walked down the street. Harry followed
him. After walking for some distance Lebat came
to a stand of hackney-coaches and spoke to one of
the drivers. When he had gone on again Harry
went up to the man.
"Comrade," he said, "do you wish to do a good
action and to earn a couple of gold pieces at the
same time V


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
257
"That will suit me admirably," the coachman
replied.
"Let one of your comrades look after your horse,
then, and let us have a glass of wine together in
that cabaret."
As soon as they were seated at a small table with
a measure of wine before them Harry said:
"That deputy with the red sash who spoke
to you just now has engaged you for a job this
evening?"
"He has," the coachman said. "I am to be at
the left corner of the Place de Carrousel at eight
this evening."
"He is a bad lot," Harry said; "he is going to
carry off a poor girl to whom he has been promis-
ing marriage; but of course we know better than
that. She is a friend of mine and so were her
parents, and I want to save her. Now, what I want
to do is to take your place on the box this evening.
I will drive him to the place where he is to meet
her, and when he gets her to the door of his lodging
I shall jump off and give my citizen such a thrash-
ing as will put a stop to his gallivanting for some
time. I will give you ten crowns for the use of
your coach for an hour."
"Agreed!" the coachman said. "Between our-
selves, some of these fellows who pretend to be


m THE REIGN OP TERROR.
269
the warders and declares that she would rather die
than go with him, it is just possible that they might
refuse to let him take her away, saying that the
order was for her release, but not for her delivery
to him. I don't suppose they would do so, because
as one of the members of the Committee of Public
Safet}r he is all-powerful; still it would be as well
to avoid any risk whatever of our scheme failing
I will drive to the Rue Montagnard, which, as you
know, is close to La Force. It is a quiet street, and
it is not likely there will be anybody about at half-
past eight. Will you be there and give me a hand
to secure the fellow?"
"Certainly I will," Jacques said heartily. "What
do you propose to do with him?"
"I propose to tie his hands and feet and gag him,
and then drive to the Rue Bluett, which is close by,
and where there are some unfinished houses. We
can toss him in there, and he will be safe till
morning."
"It will be the safest plan to run him through at
once and have done with him," Jacques said. "He
will be a dangerous enemy if he is left alive; and as
he would kill you without mercy if he had a chance,
I don't see why you need be over-nice with him."
"The man is a scoundrel, and one of a band of
men whom I regard as murderers," Harry said;
"but I could not kill him in cold blood."


fit THIS REi&N OP TERROR. 261
Harry took off his sword and placed it on the
seat, wrapped himself in the great cape, wound a
muffler round the lower part of his face, and waited.
A few minutes after the clock had struck eight
Lebat came along.
"Here we are, citizen," Harry said in a rough
voice. "I am glad you have come, for it's no joke
waiting about on such nights as this. Where am I
to drive you to?"
"The prison of La Force," Lebat said, taking his
seat in the coach.
Harry's heart beat fast as he drove toward the
prison. He felt sure that success would attend his
plans; but the moment was an exciting one. It did
not seem that anything could interpose to prevent
success, and yet something might happen which he
had not foreseen or guarded against. He drove at
little more than a footpace, for the streets a short
distance from the center of the town were only
lighted here and there by a dim oil lamp, and
further away they were in absolute darkness, save
for the lights which gleamed through the casements.
At last he reached the entrance to the prison.
Lebat jumped out and rang at the bell.
"What is it, citizen?" the guard said, looking
through a grille in the gate.
"I am Citizen Lebat of the Committee of Public


26S i& THE REIQN OF TERROR.
Safety, and I have an order here, signed by Citizen
Robespierre, for the release of the female prisoner
known as Marie Caux."
"All right, citizen!" the man said, opening the
gate. "It is late for a discharge; but I don't
suppose the prisoner will grumble at that."
Ten minutes later the gate opened again and
Lebat came out with a cloaked female figure. She
hesitated on the top step, and then, refusing to touch
the hand Lebat held out to assist her, stepped down
and entered the coach.
"Rue Fosseuse No. 18," Lebat said as he followed
her.
Harry drove on, and was soon in the Rue Mon-
tagnard. It was a dark, narrow street; no one
seemed stirring, and Harry peered anxiously through
the darkness for the figure of Jacques. Presently he
heard a low whistle, and a figure appeared from a
doorway. Harry at once checked the horse.
"What is it V Lebat asked, putting his head out
of the window.
Harry got off the box, and going to the window
said in a drunken voice:
"I want my far©. There is a cabaret only just
ahead, and I want a glass before I go further. My
feet are pretty well frozen."
"Drive on, you drunken rascal," Lebat said furi-
ously, "or it will be worse for you."


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 268
"Don't you speak in that way to me, citizen,"
Harry said hoarsely. "One man's as good as an-
other in these days, and if you talk like that to me
I will break your head in spite of your red sash."
With an exclamation of rage Lebat sprang from
the coach, and as his foot touched the ground Harry
threw his arms round him; but as he did so he trod
upon some of the filth which so thickly littered the
thoroughfare and slipped. Lebat wrenched himself
free and drew his sword, and before Harry could
have regained his feet he would have cut him down,
when he fell himself in a heap from a tremendous
blow which Jacques struck him with his sword.
"Jump inside," Jacques said to Harry. "We
may have some one out to see what the noise is
about. He will be no more trouble."
He seized the prostrate body, threw it up on the
box, and taking his seat drove on.
"Marie," Harry said as he jumped in, "thank
God you are safe!"
"Oh, Harry, is it you? Can it be true?" And
the spirit which had so long sustained the girl gave
way, and leaning her head upon his shoulder she
burst into tears. Harry soothed and pacified her
till the vehicle again came to a stop.
"What is it, Jacques?" Harry asked, putting his
head out of window,


264
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
"Just what we agreed upon," the man said.
rt Here are the empty houses. You stop where you
are. I will get rid of this trash."
Harry, however, got out.
"Is he dead?" he asked in a low voice.
"Well, considering his head's cut pretty nigh in
two, I should think he was," Jacques said. "It
could not be helped, you know; for if I hadn't
struck sharp it would have been all over with you.
Anyhow it's better as it is a hundred times. If you
don't value your neck, I do mine. Now get in
again. I shan't be two minutes."
He slipped off the red sash and coat and waist-
coat of the dead man, emptied his trousers pockets
and turned them inside out, then lifting the body on
his shoulder he carried it to one of the empty houses
and threw it down.
"They will never know who he is," he said to
himself. "In this neighborhood the first comer
will take his shirt and trousers. They will suppose
he has been killed and robbed, no uncommon
matter in these days, and his body will be thrown
into the public pit, and no one be any the wiser. I
will burn the coat and waistcoat as soon as I get
back."


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
265
CHAPTER XL
MAEIE AND VICTOB.
"Are you taking me to the girls, Harry?"
"No," Harry said. "It would not be safe to do
so. There are already suspicions, and they have
been denounced."
Marie gave a cry of alarm.
"I have managed to suppress the document,
Marie, and we start with them in a day or two.
Still it will be better for you not to go near
them. I will arrange for you to meet them to-
morrow."
"Where am I going, then?"
"You are going to the house of a worthy couple,
who have shown themselves faithful and trust-
worthy by nursing a friend of mine, who has for
nearly six months been lying ill there. You
will be perfectly safe there till we can arrange
matters."
"But if Robespierre has signed my release, as
they said, I am safe enough, surely, and can go where
I like."


268
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
"I think you will be safe from re-arrest here in
Paris, Marie, because you could appeal to him; but
outside Paris it might be different. However, we
can talk about that to-morrow, when you have had
a good night's rest."
Harry did not think it necessary to say, that
when Lebat was missed it would probably be ascer-
tained that he was last seen leaving La Force with
her, and that if inquiries were set on foot about
him she might be sought for. However, Marie
said no more on the subject, quite content that
Harry should make whatever arrangements he
thought best, and she now began to ask all sorts of
questions about her sisters, and so passed the time
until they were close to the Place de Carrousel;
then Harry called to Jacques to stop.
"Will you please get out, Marie, and wait with
our good friend here till I return. I shall be back
in five minutes. I have to hand the coach over to
its owner."
Jacques threw Lebat's clothes over his arm and
got down from the box. Harry took his seat and
drove into the Place, where he found the coachman
awaiting him.
"Have you managed the job?"
"That we have," Harry said. "He has had a
lesson, and Isabel has gone off to her friends again.


W TEE REIGN OF TERROR.
Poor little girl, I hope it will cure her of her flight,
iness. Here is your cape and your money, ray
friend, and thank you."
"You are heartily welcome," the driver said,
mounting his box. "I wish I could do as well
every day; but these are bad times for us, and
money is precious scarce, I can tell you."
Harry soon rejoined Jacques and Marie. There
were but few words said as they made their way
through the streets, for Marie was weakened by her
long imprisonment, and shaken by what she had
gone through. She had not asked a single question
as to what had become of Lebat; but she had no
doubt that he was killed. She had grown, however,
almost indifferent to death. Day after day she had
seen batches of her friends taken out to execution,
and the retribution which had fallen upon this
wretch gave her scarcely a thought, except a feeling
of thankfulness that she was freed from his perse-
cutions. Completely as she trusted Harry, it was
with the greatest difficulty that she had brought
herself to obey his instructions and to place herself
for a moment in the power of her persecutor, and
appear to go with him willingly.
When Lebat told her triumphantly that he had
saved her from death, and that she was to have
formed one of the party in the tumbril on the follow-


IN THE RKIGN OF TERROR. 2(50
and had fitted them up as a bedroom and sitting-
room for her. There was already a communication
existing between the two sets of apartments, and
they had only to remove some brickwork between
the double doors to throw them into one suite.
Telling Marie to sit down, Elise hurried off and
returned with a basin of bouillon.
"Drink this, my dear, and then go straight to
bed; your friend will be here in good time in the
morning, and then you can talk over matters with
him." She waited to see Marie drink the broth,
and then helped her to undress.
"She will be asleep in five minutes," she said
when she rejoined her husband and Harry. "She
is worn out with excitement, but a night's rest will
do wonders for her. Don't come too early in the
morning, Monsieur Sandwith; she is sure to sleep
late, and I would not disturb her till she wakes of
herself."
"I will be here at nine," Harry said, " and will
go round before that and tell her sisters. They will
be wondering they have seen nothing of me to-day,
but I was afraid to tell them till it was all over.
The anxiety would have been too great for them."
It was fortunate that Robespierre went out
early on the following morning to attend a meet-
ing at the Jacobins, and Harry was therefore


IN fBE &EIQN Of TElittOR.
saved the necessity for asking leave to absent
himself again. At eight o'clock he was at Louise
Moulin's.
"What is it, Harry?" Jeanne exclaimed as he
entered. "I can see you have news. What is it?"
"I have news," Harry said, "and good news, but
you must not excite yourselves."
"Have you found a way for getting Marie out?"
"Yes, I have found a way."
"A sure, certain way, Harry?" Virginie asked;
"not only a chance?"
"A sure, certain way," Harry replied. "You
need have no more fear; Marie will certainly be
freed."
The two girls stood speechless with delight. It
never occurred to them to doubt Harry's words
when he spoke so confidently.
"Have you told us all, Harry?" Jeanne asked a
minute later, looking earnestly in his face. "Can it
be ?—is she really out already?"
"Yes," Harry said, "thank God, dears, your
sister is free."
With aery of delight Virginie sprang to him, and
throwing her arms round his neck, kissed him in the
exuberance of her happiness. Louise threw her
apron over her head and burst into tears of thank-
fulness while Jeanne put her hand on his shoulder
and said:


m THE REIGN OF TERROR
211.
"Oh, Harry, how can we ever thank you enough
for all you have done for us V
Six months back Jeanne would probably have
acted as Virginie did, but those six months had
changed her greatly; indeed, ever since she re-
ceived that note from Marie, which she had never
shown even to Virginie, there had been a shade of
difference in her manner to Harry, which he had
more than once noticed and wondered at.
It was some little time before the girls were
sufficiently composed to listen to Harry's story.
"But why did you not bring her here, Harry?"
Virginie asked. "Why did you take her somewhere
else?"
"For several reasons, Virginie. I have not told
you before, but there is no reason why you should
not know now that Victor is still in Paris."
Virginie uttered an exclamation of wonder.
"He stopped here to look after you all, but he
has had a very bad illness, and is still terribly weak,
and does not even know me. Marie will nurse him.
I have great hopes that he will know her, and that
she may be able in time to effect a complete cure.
In the next place I think it would be dangerous to
bring her here, for we must leave in a very few
days."
"What, go without her V


272 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
"Tes, I am afraid so, Virginia. I have learned,
Louise, that some of your neighbors have their sus-
picions, and that a letter of denunciation has already
been sent, so it will be absolutely necessary to make
a move. I have suppressed the first letter, but the
writer will probably not let the matter drop, and may
write to Danton or Marat next time, so we must go
without delay. You cannot change your lodging,
for they would certainly trace you; besides, at the
present time the regulations about lodgers are so
strict that no one would dare receive you until the
committee of the district have examined you and are
perfectly satisfied. Therefore, I think we must go
alone. Marie is wanted here, and I think she will be
far safer nursing Victor than she would be with us;
besides, now she has been freed by Eobespierre's
orders, I do not think there is any fear of her arrest,
even if her identity were discovered. Lastly, it
would be safer to travel three than four. Three
girls traveling with a young fellow like me would
be sure to attract attention. It will be difficult
enough in any case, but it would certainly be worse
with her with us."
"But we are to see her, Harry?" Jeanne said.
"Surely we are not to go away without seeing
Marie!"
"Certainly not, Jeanne; I am not so cruel as that.


IN TBE REIGN OF TERROR.
273
This evening, after dark, we will meet in the gardens
of the Tuileries. Louise, will you bring them down
and be with them near the main entrance? I will
bring Marie there at six o'clock. And now I must
be off; I have to break the news to Marie that
Victor is in the same house with her and ill. I did
not tell her last night. She will be better able to
bear it after a good night's sleep."
"Marie was up and dressed when Harry arrived,
and was sitting by the fire in the little kitchen.
"I have just left your sisters, Marie," Harry said.
"and you may imagine their delight at the news I
gave them. You are to see them this evening in the
gardens of the Tuileries."
"Oh, Harry, how good you are! How much you
have done for us!"
Harry laughed lightly.
"Not very much yet; besides, it has been a
pleasure as well as a duty. The girls have both
been so brave, and Jeanne has the head of a
woman."
"She is nearly a woman now, Harry," Marie
said gently. "She is some months past sixteen,
and though you tell me girls of that age in England
are quite children, it is not so here. Why, it is
nothing uncommon for a girl to marry at sixteen."
"Well, at any rate," Harry said, "Jeanne has no


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 2?5
"Well, Marie, you mustn't be agitated, and I
hope you will not be angry; but I ask you how, as
he has a good heart, and you have claims upon him,
could you expect Victor de Gisons to run away like
a coward and leave you here?"
Marie had risen to her feet and gazed at him with
frightened eyes.
"What, is it about him that you deceived
me? Is it true that he did not go away? Has
anything happened to him? Oh, Harry, do not say
he is dead!"
"He is not dead, Marie, but he has been very,
very ill. He was with me at La Force on that ter-
rible night, and saw his father brought out to be
murdered. The shock nearly killed him. He has
had brain fever, and has been at death's door. At
present he is mending, but very, very slowly. He
knows no one, not even me, but I trust that
your voice and your presence will do wonders for
him."
"Where is he, Harry?" Marie said as she stood
with clasped hands, and a face from which every
vestige of color had flown. "Take me to him at
once."
"He is in the house, Marie; that is why I have
brought you here. These good people have nursed
and concealed him for five months,"


276
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
Marie made a movement toward the door.
"Wait, Marie, you cannot go to him till you com-
pose yourself. It is all-important that you should
speak to him, when you see him, in your natural
voice, and you must prepare yourself for a shock.
He is at present a mere wreck, so changed that
you will hardly know him."
"You are telling me the truth, Harry? You are
not hiding from me that he is dying?"
"No, dear; I believe, on my honor, that he is out
of danger now, and that he is progressing. It is his
mind more than his body that needs curing. It
may be a long and difficult task, Marie, before he is
himself again; but I believe that with your care and
companionship he will get round in time, but it may
be months before that."
"Time is nothing," Marie said. "But what about
the girls?"
"They must still be under my charge, Marie. I
shall start with them in a day or two and try to
make for the seashore, and then across to England.
Suspicions have been aroused; they have already
been denounced, and may be arrested at any time.
Therefore it is absolutely necessary that they should
fly at once; but I thought that you would consider
it your first duty to stay with Victor, seeing that to
him your presence is everything, while you could do


218
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
life has been spared in order that I might take my
place here. As to the girls, it was a shock at first
when you told me that fresh danger threatened
them, and that I should not be able to share their
perils upon their journey; but I could not have
aided them, and God has marked out my place here.
No, Harry, God has protected me so far, and will aid
me still. Now I am ready for whatever may be-
tide."
"One moment before you enter, Marie. You are
prepared, I know, to see a great change in Victor,
but nevertheless you cannot but be shocked at first.
Do not go up to him or attract his attention till
you have overcome this and are able to speak to him
in your natural voice. I think a great deal depends
upon the first impression you make on his brain.
Your voice has changed a good deal in the last six
months; it would be strange if it had not; but I
want you to try and speak to him in the bright,
cheerful tone he was accustomed to hear."
Marie nodded. "One moment," she said, as she
brushed aside the tears which filled her eyes, drew
herself up with a little gesture that reminded
Harry of old times, and then with a swift step
passed through the door into Victor's room. What-
ever she felt at the sight of the wasted figure lying
kstlessly with half-closed eyes on the couch, it only


IN TBE RElGtf OP TERROR. $79
showed itself by a swift expression of pain which
passed for a moment across her face and then was
gone.
"Victor," she said in her clear, ringing voice,
"Victor, my well beloved, I am come to you." The
effect upon Victor was instantaneous. He opened
his eyes with a start, half rose from his couch and
held out his arms toward her.
"Marie," he said in a faint voice, " you have come
at last. I have wanted you so much."
Then, as Marie advanced to him, and kneeling
by his side, clasped him in her arms, Elise and
Harry stole quietly from the room. It was nearly
an hour before Marie came out. There was a soft
glow of happiness on her face, though her cheeks
were pale.
"Not yet!" she said, as she swept past them into
her own room.
In a few minutes she reappeared.
"Pardon me," she said, holding out her hands to
Harry and Elise, " but I had to thank the good God
first. Victor is quite sensible now, but oh, so weak!
He remembers nothing of the past, but seems to
think he is still down in Burgundy, and has some-
how had an illness. Then he spoke of the duke
and my dear father and mother as being still alive,
and that he hoped they would let me come to him


280 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
now. I told him that all should be as he wished
as soon as he got stronger, but that he must not
think of anything now, and that I would nurse
him, and all would be well. He seemed puzzled
about my dress "—for Marie had already put on
the simple attire which had been prepared for her
—" but I told him that it was fit for a sick-room,
and he seemed satisfied. He has just dozed off to
sleep, and I will go in and sit with him now till he
wakes."
""When he does, mademoiselle, I will have some
broth and a glass of good burgundy ready for him,"
Elise said.
"Thank you; but please call me Marie in future.
There are no mesdemoiselles in France now, and I
shall call you Elise instead of madame. And Harry
would you mind telling the girls that I will meet
them to-morrow instead of this evening. I long to
see them, oh so, so much; but I should not like to
leave him for a moment now. I fear so that his
memory might go again if he were to wake and
miss me."
"I was going to propose it myself, Marie,"
Harry said. "It is all-important to avoid any agita-
tion now. To-morrow, I hope, it will be safer, and
the doctor will give him a sleeping-draught, so that
he shall not wake while you are away. But, Marie,


IN TEE REIGN OF TERROR. 281
remember it will be a farewell visit, for I dare not
let them stay more than another day. They may
be denounced again at any hour, for the man who
wrote to Robespierre, if he finds that nothing comes
of it, may go to the local committee, and they will
not lose an hour, you may be sure."
"I must see them this evening then," Marie said
hurriedly. "The doctor will be here, you say, soon.
Victor must have his sleeping-draught this after-
noon instead of to-morrow. They must go at once.
I should never forgive myself if, by putting off our
parting for twenty-four hours, I caused them to fall
into the hands of these wretches; so please hurry
on all the arrangements so that they may leave the
first thing to-morrow morning."
"It will be best," Harry said, "if you will do it,
Marie. I own that I am in a fever of apprehension.
I will go there at once to tell them that all must be
in readiness by to-night. They will be glad indeed
to hear that your presence has done such wonders
for Victor. They will be able to leave you with a
better heart if they feel that your stay here is likely
to bring health to him and happiness to both of
you."
"A week since," Marie said, "it did not seem to
me that I could ever be happy again; but though


282
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
everything is still very dark, the clouds seem
lifting."
The girls were greatly rejoiced when they heard
the good news that Victor had recognized Marie,
and that Harry had now hopes that he would do
well.
"And now we must talk about ourselves," Harry
said. "We must not lose another hour. Now,
Louise, you must take part in our council. We have
everything to settle, and only a few hours to do it
in. I should like, if possible, that we should not
come back here this evening after you have once
left the house. The man who denounced you will
expect that something would be done to-day, and
when he sees that nothing has come of his letter he
may go this evening to the local committee, and
they would sand men at once to arrest you. No
doubt he only wrote to Robespierre first, thinking
he would get credit and perhaps a post of some sort
for his vigilance in the cause. But if Louise thinks
that it cannot possibly be managed, I will write a
letter at once to him in Robespierre's name, saying
that his letter has been noted and your movements
will be closely watched, and thanking him for his
zeal in the public service."
"No, I think we are ready," Jeanne said. "Of
course we have been talking it over for weeks, and


m THE REIGN OF TERROR. 288
agreed it was better to be in readiness whenever
you told us it was time to go. Louise will tell you
all about it."
Harry looked toward Louise.
"The disguises are all ready, Monsieur Sandwith;
and yesterday when you said that my dear made-
moiselle could not go with them, I settled, if you do
not see any objection, to go with the dear children."
"I should be very glad," Harry said eagerly, for
although he had seen no other way out of it, the diffi-
culties and inconveniences of a journey alone with
Jeanne and Virginie had been continually on his
mind. The idea of taking the old woman with them
had never occurred to him, but he now hailed it as
a most welcome solution of the difficulty.
"That will be a thousand times better in every
way, for with you with us it would excite far less
remark than three young people traveling alone.
But I fear, Louise, that the hardships we may have
to undergo will be great."
"It matters little," the old woman said. "I
nursed their mother, and have for years lived on her
bounty; and gladly now will I give what little
remains to me of life in the service of her dear chil-
dren. I know that everything is turned topsy-turvy
in our poor country at present, but as long as I have
Ufe in my body I will not let my dear mistress'


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 285
it is out of the question that you should stop out
all night, and yet we could not ask for a lodging
close to Paris.
"Oh, I see now! The best plan will be for you
all to sleep to-night at Jacques'. The good people
will manage somehow; then we can start early in
the morning. Yes, and in that way it will not be
necessary for Marie to go out and leave Victor."
"That will certainly be the best way," Louise
said. "I have been wondering ever since you said
we must start this evening what would become of
us to-night. When we once get fairly away from
Paris it will be easier, for the country people are
kind-hearted, and I think we shall always be able
to get shelter for the night; but just outside Paris
it would be different. Then where shall we meet
this evening?"
"I will be at the end of the street," Harry said.
"It is quite dark by five, so do you start a quarter
of an hour later; hide your bundles under your
cloaks, for if that fellow is on the lookout he might
follow you if he thought you were leaving. Draw
your blinds up when you leave, Louise, so that the
room will look as usual, and then it may be some
time before any one suspects that you have left;
and if I were you I would mention to some of your
neighbors this afternoon that you have had a letter


286
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
from your friends in Burgundy, and are going away
soon with your nieces to stay with them for awhile.
You had better pay your rent for three months in
advance, and tell your landlord the same thing;
saying that you may go suddenly any time, as a
compere who is in Paris, and is also going back, is
going to take charge of you on the journey, and
that he may call for you at any time. Thus when
he finds that you have left, your absence will be
accounted for; not that it makes much difference,
for I hope that when you have seen the girls safely
to England you will make your home with them
there."
"Yes, I shall never come back here," the old
woman said, " never, even if I could. Paris is hate-
ful to me now, and I have no reason for ever
wanting to come back."
"In that case," Harry said, smiling, "we may as
well save the three months' rent."
"Oh, how I long to be in England," Virginie ex-
claimed, "and to see dear Ernest and Jules again!
How anxious they must be about us, not having
heard of us all this long time! How shall we know
where to find them?"
"You forget, Virginie," Jeanne said, "it was
arranged they should go to Harry's father when
they got to England, and he will know where they


IN TSE RETON Of TERROR.
287
are living; there is sure to be no mistake about
that, is there, Harry?"
"None at all," Harry said. "You may rely upon
it that directly you get to my father you will hear
where your brothers are. And now I will go and
tell Marie that there is no occasion for Victor to
take a sleeping-draught."
Marie was delighted when she heard that she was
going to have her sisters with her for the whole
evening and night, and Elise busied herself with
preparations for the accommodation of her guests.
Harry then went back to his attic, made his clothes
into a bundle, and took up the bag of money from
its hiding-place under a board and placed it in his
pocket.
He had, since he had been with Robespierre,
gradually changed the silver for gold in order to
make it more convenient to carry, and it was now
of comparatively little weight, although he had
drawn but slightly upon it, except for the payment
of the bribe promised to the warder. His pistols
were also hidden under his blouse.
He went downstairs and waited the return of
Robespierre.
"Citizen," he said when he entered, "circum-
stances have occurred which render it necessary for
me to travel down to Nantes to escort a young girl,


2&8 IF TBB RtHON Of TERROR.
a boy, and an old woman to that town; they cannot
travel alone in such times as these, and they have a
claim upon me which I cannot ignore."
"Surely, friend Sandwith," Robespierre said,
"the affairs of France are of more importance than
private matters like these."
"Assuredly they are, citizen; but I cannot flatter
myself that the affairs of France will be in any way
injured by my temporary absence. My duty in
this matter is clear to me, and I can only regret
that my temporary absence may put you to some
inconvenience. But 1 have a double favor to ask
you: the one is to spare me for a time; the second,
that you will give me papers recommending me,
and those traveling with me, to the authorities of
the towns through which we shall pass. In these
times, when the enemies of the state are traveling
throughout France seeking to corrupt the minds of
the people, it is necessary to have papers showing
that one is a good citizen."
"But I have no authority," Robespierre said.
"I am neither a minister nor a ruler."
"You are not a minister, citizen, but you are
assuredly a ruler. It is to you men look more than
to any other. Danton is too headstrong and
violent. You alone combine fearlessness in the
cause of France with that wisdom and moderation


IN TEE REIGN OF TERROR.
289
which are, above all things, necessary in guiding
the state through its dangers."
Robespierre's vanity was so inordinate that he
accepted the compliment as his due, though he waved
his hand with an air of deprecation.
"Therefore,citizen," Harry went on, "a letter
from you would be more powerful than an order
from another."
"But these persons who travel with you, citizen
—how am I to be sure that they are not enemies of
France V
"France is not to be shaken," Harry said, smil-
ing, "by the efforts of an old woman of seventy and
a young boy and girl; but I can assure you that
they are no enemies of France but, simple, inoffen-
sive people who have been frightened by the com-
motion in Paris, and long to return to the country
life to which they are accustomed. Come, citizen,
you refused the first boon which I asked you, and,
methinks, cannot hesitate at granting one who has
deserved well of you this slight favor."
"You are right," Robespierre said. "I cannot
refuse you, even if the persons who accompany you
belong to the class of suspects, of which, mind, I
know nothing, though I may have my suspicions.
I have not forgotten, you know, that you asked for
the life of the daughter of the ci devant Marquis da


290
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
St. Caux; and for aught I know these children may
be of the same breed. But I will not ask you. Did
I know it, not even the obligation I am under to
you would induce me to do what you ask; for
although as children they can do no harm, they
might do so were they allowed to grow up hating
France. All children of suspects are, as you know,
ordered to be placed in the state schools, in order
that they may there learn to love the people of
France and to grow up worthy citizens. Now, how
shall I word it?" he said, taking up a pen; and
Harry dictated:
"I hereby recommend Citizen Henri Sandwith,
age nineteen, who has been acting as my confiden-
tial secretary, to all public authorities, together with
Citoyenne Moulin and her two grandchildren, with
whom he is traveling?"
To this Robespierre signed his name and handed
the paper to Harry.
"How long will you be before you return?" he
asked.
"I cannot say exactly," Harry replied; " as after
I have seen them to their destination I may stop
with them for a few weeks."
Robespierre nodded and held out his hand.
"I shall be glad to have you with me again, for I
have conceived a strong friendship for you, and


W TEE REIGN OF TERROR. 291
think none the worse of you for your showing
your gratitude to the family in whom you are
interested."
Harry then went into the kitchen, where Robes-
pierre's sister was preparing the next meal, and said
good-by to her.
She had taken a fancy to her brother's young
secretary, and expressed a hope that his absence
would be but a short one, telling him that Robes-
pierre had said only the day before how much work
he had saved him, and that he was determined to
push his fortunes to the utmost.
Having thus paved the way for an appeal to
Robespierre should he find himself in difficulties on
the road, Harry proceeded to Jacques' house and
waited there until it was time to go up to meet
Louise and the girls.
Victor did not wake until the afternoon. The
doctor had called as usual, but had not roused him.
He had been told what had taken place, and had
held out hope to Marie that Victor's improvement
would be permanent, and that he would now make
steady progress toward recovery.
At the appointed hour Harry was at his post to
meet the party. They came along within a few min-
utes of the time named, but instead of stopping to
greet him they walked straight on, Jeanne saying
as she passed him;


292 ZtT THE REMIT OE TERROR.
"I think we are followed."
Harry at once drew back and allowed them to
go fifty yards on before he moved after them. As
there were many people about, it was some little
time before he could verify Jeanne's suspicions;
then he noticed that a man, walking a short dis-
tance ahead of him, followed each turning that the
others took.
Harry waited until they were in a quiet street,
and then quickened his pace until he was close
behind the man. Then he drew one of his pistols,
and, springing forward, struck him a heavy blow on
the head with its butt. He fell forward on his face
without a cry; and Harry, satisfied that he had
stunned him, ran on and overtook the others, and,
turning down the first street they came to, was
assured that they were safe from pursuit.
"We had noticed a man lounging against the
house opposite all the afternoon," Jeanne said, " and
came to the conclusion that he must be watching
us, so we looked out for him when we came out,
and noticed that as soon as we went on he began
to walk that way too. So I told Louise to walk
straight on without stopping when we came up to
you. I was sure you would manage somehow to get
rid of him."
Harry laughed.


IN TBB kBIGlf OF tERROR. 293
"I fancy he will spend to-morrow in bed instead
of lounging about. Perhaps it will teach him to
mind his own business in future and to leave other
people alone. I am very glad that he did follow
you; for I felt that I owed him one, and was sorry
to leave Paris without paying my debt. Now I
think we are pretty well square."
The meeting between the sisters was indeed a
happy one. They fell on each other's necks, and
for some time scarce a word was spoken; then they
stood a little apart and had a long look at each
other.
"You are changed, Marie dear," Jeanne said;
"you look pale, but you look, too, softer and prettier
than you used to."
"All my airs and graces have been rubbed off,"
Marie said with a slight smile. "I have learned so
much, Jeanne, and have been where noble blood
has been the reverse of a recommendation. You
are changed too—the six months have altered you.
Your gouvernante would not call you a wild girl
now. You are quite a woman."
"We have suffered too, Marie," Jeanne said as
tears came to her eyes at the thought of the changes
and losses of the last few months. "We have
thought of you night and day; but Louise has been
very good to us, and as for Harry, we owe every-


294 IN THE REION OF TERROR.
thing to him. He had always been so hopeful and
strong, and has cheered us up with promises that he
would bring you to us some day."
Marie smiled.
"You are right, Jeanne. I used to laugh a little,
you know, at your belief in your hero, and little
thought that the time would come when I should
trust him as implicitly as you do. You have a right
to be proud of him, Jeanne. What thought and
devotion and courage he has shown for us! and do
you know, he saved Victor too. Jacques has told me
all about it—how Victor saw his father brought out
to be murdered; and how, half-mad, he was spring-
ing out to stand beside him, when Harry, as quick
as thought, knocked him down before he could
betray himself; and then Jacques, who was stand-
ing by and saw it, helped him carry him here. Oh,
my dear, how much we owe to him!
"And now, Virginie," she said, turning to the
youngest, " I must have a good look at you, little
one—but no, I mustn't call you little one any
longer, for you are already almost as tall as I am.
My child, how you have been growing, and you
look so well! Louise must have been feeding you
up. Ah, Louise, how much we all owe to you too!
And I hear you are going to leave your comfortable
home and take care of the girls on their journey.


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
295
It was such a comfort to me when Harry told
me!"
"I could not let them go alone, mademoiselle,"
the old woman said simply, "it was only my duty.
Besides, what should I do in Paris with all my chil-
dren in England?"
"Now, my dears, take your things off," Marie
said. "I will just run in and see how Victor is get-
ting on. Harry went straight in to him, and I want
to know whether Victor recognized him."


296 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
/
CHAPTER XII.
NANTES.
Haeet was very pleased to see a look of recogni-
tion on Victor's face as he came up to the side of his
couch.
"Well, Victor," he said cheerfully, "I am glad to
see you looking more yourself again."
Victor nodded assent, and his hand feebly returned
the pressure of Harry's.
"I cannot understand it," he said, after a pause.
"I seem to be in a dream; but it is true Marie is
here, isn't it V
"Oh yes! She is chatting now with her sisters,
Jeanne and Virginie, you know."
"And why am I here?" Victor asked, looking
round the room. "Marie tells me not to ask
questions."
"No. There will be plenty of time for that after-
ward, Victor. It is all simple enough. You were
out with me, and there was an accident, and you got
hurt. So I and a workman who was passing carried


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
297
you into his house, and he and his wife have been
taking care of you. You have been very ill, but you
are getting on better now. Marie has come to nurse
you, and she won't leave you until you are quite well.
Now, I think that's enough for you, and the doctor
would be very angry if he knew I had told you so
much, because he said you were not to bother your-
self about things at all, but just to sleep as much as
you can, and eat as much as you can, and listen to
Marie talking and reading to you, and not trouble
your brain in any way, because it's your brain that
has gone wrong, and any thinking will be very bad
for it."
This explanation seemed satisfactory to Victor,
who soon after dozed off to sleep, and Harry joined
the party in Marie's sitting-room.
"Oh, if I could but keep them here with me,
Harry, what a comfort it would be!"
"I know that it would, Marie; but it is too dan-
gerous. You know they were denounced at Louise
Moulin's. Already there is risk enough in you and
Victor being here. The search for Royalists does
not relax; indeed it seems to become more and
more keen every day. Victor's extreme illness is
your best safeguard. The neighbors have heard
that Jacques has had a fellow-workman dangerously .
ill for some long time, and Victor can no longer be


298 IN THB REIGN OF TERROR.
looked upon as a stranger to be suspected, while
your coming here to help nurse him will seem so
natural a step that it will excite no comment. But
any fresh addition of numbers would be sure to give
rise to talk, and you would have a commissary of
the Commune here in no time to make inquiries, and
to ask for your papers of domicile."
"Yes, I know that it would be too dangerous to
risk," Marie agreed; "but I tremble at the thought
of their journey."
"I have every hope that we shall get through
safely," Harry said. "I have some good news I
have not yet told you. I have received a paper
from Robespierre stating that I have been his secre-
tary, and recommending us all to the authorities, so
that we can dispense with the ordinary papers which
they would otherwise ask for."
"That is good news, indeed, Harry," Marie said.
"That relieves me of half my anxiety. Once on
the seacoast it will be comparatively easy to get a
passage to England. My dear Harry, you surprise
me more every day, and I am ashamed to think that
when our dear father and mother first told me that
they had accepted your noble offer to look after us
I was inclined in my heart to think that such pro-
. tection would be of little use. You see I confess,
Harry, and you know that is halfway to forgive-
ness."


300
IN THE REIGN OE TEllROR.
shipwrecked mariner who has been cast upon an
island and given up as lost. But my father always
used to say, that if I was a first rate hand at getting
into scrapes, I was equally good at getting out of
them again; and I don't think they will have quite
despaired of seeing me again, especially as they
know, by the last letters I sent them, that you all
said I could speak French well enough to pass any-
where as a native."
"How surprised they will beat your arriving with
two girls and Louise!" Virginie said.
"They will be pleased more than surprised,"
Harry replied. "I have written so much about you
in my letters that the girls and my mother will be
delighted to see you."
"Besides," Jeanne added, "the boys will have
told them you are waiting behind with us, so they
will not be so surprised as they would otherwise
have been. But it will be funny, arriving among
people who don't speak a word of our language."
"You will soon be at home with them," said
Harry reassuringly. "Jenny and Kate are just
about your ages, and I expect they will have grown
so I shall hardly know them. It is nearly three
years now since I left them, and I have to look at
you to assure myself that Jenny will have grown
almost into a young woman. Now I shall go out
for a bit, and leave you to chat together.


802 & THE REIGN OF TERROR.
attire as a boy, and indeed had there been time the
night before to procure a disguise for her as a girl
it would have been done, although Harry's opinion
that it would attract less attention for her to travel
as a boy was unchanged; but he would have given
way had it been possible to make the change. As
any delay, however, would certainly be dangerous,
the original plan was adhered to.
Marie had cut her sister's hair short, and no one
would have suspected from her appearance that Vir-
ginie was not what she seemed, a good-looking boy
of some thirteen years old. With their bundles in
their hands they trudged along the road, and stopped
for the night at a village about twelve miles out of
Paris. After having again satisfied the authorities
by the production of the pass, Harry made inquiries,
and the next morning went two miles away to a
farmhouse, where there was, he heard, a cart and
horse to be disposed of.
After much haggling over terms—since to give the
sum that was first asked would have excited sur-
prise, and perhaps suspicion—Harry became the pos-
sessor of the horse and cart, drove triumphantly
back to the village, and having stowed Louise and
the two girls on some straw in the bottom of the
cart, proceeded on the journey.
They met with no adventure whatever on the


304
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
obtain information of all that was going on. Had
it not been for this he would gladly have declined
the honor, for his feelings were daily harrowed by
arrests and massacres which he was powerless to
prevent, for he did not venture to raise his voice on
the side of mercy, for had he done so it would have
been certain to excite suspicion. He found that,
horrible as were the atrocities committed in Paris,
they were even surpassed by those which were
enacted in the provinces, and that in Nantes in par-
ticular a terrible persecution was raging under the
direction of Carrier, who had been sent down from
Paris as commissioner from the Commune there.
Harry's next object was to make the acquaintance
of some of the fishermen, and to find out what
vessels were engaged in smuggling goods across
to England; for it was in one of these alone that
he could hope to cross the Channel. This, how-
ever, he found much more difficult than he had
expected.
The terror was universal. The news of the execu-
tion of the king had heightened the dismay. Mas-
sacres were going on all over France. The lowest
ruffians in all the great towns were now their
masters, and under pretended accusations were
wreaking their hate upon the respectable inhabit-
ants. Private enmities were wiped out in blood.


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
305
None were too high or too low to be denounced as
Royalists, and denunciation was followed as a matter
of course by a mock trial and execution. Every
man distrusted his neighbor, and fear caused those
who most loathed and hated the existing regime to
be loudest in their advocacy of it. There were spies
everywhere—men who received blood-money for
every victim they denounced.
Thus, then, Harry's efforts to make acquaintances
among the sailors met with very slight success. He
was a stranger, and that was sufficient to cause dis-
trust, and ere long it became whispered that he had
come from Paris with special authority to hasten on
the work of extirpation of the enemies of the state.
Soon, therefore, Harry perceived that as he moved
along the quay little groups of sailors and fishermen
talking together broke up at his approach, the men
sauntering off to the wine-shops, and any he ac-
costed replied civilly indeed, but with embarrass-
ment and restrain; and although any questions of a
general character were answered, a profound
ignorance was manifested upon the subject upon
which he wished to gain information. The sailors
all seemed to know that occasionally cargoes of
spirits were run from the river to England, but none
could name any vessel engaged in the trade. Harry
soon perceived that he was regarded with absolute


306
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
hostility, and one day one of the sailors said to him
quietly:
"Citizen, I am a good scms-culotte, and I warn you
you had best not come down the river after dark,
for there is a strong feeling against you; and unless
you would like your body to be fished out of the
river with half a dozen knife-holes in it, you will
take my advice."
Harry began to feel almost crushed under his
responsibilities. His attendance at the Revolution-
ary Committee tried him greatly. He made no
progress whatever in his efforts to obtain a passage;
and to add to his trouble the old nurse, who had
been much exhausted by the change from her usual
habits, and the inclemency of the weather on her
journey, instead of gaining strength appeared to be
rapidly losing it, and was forced to take to her bed.
The terrible events in Paris, and the long strain of
anxiety as to the safety of the girls and the fate of
Marie, had completely exhausted her strength, and
the last six months had aged her as many years.
Harry tried hard to keep up his appearance of hope-
fulness, and to cheer the girls; but Jeanne's quick
eye speedily perceived the change in him.
"You are wearing yourself out, Harry," she said,
one evening as they were sitting by the fire, while
Virginie was tending Louise in the next room. "I


80S IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
"I think I could have stood that, Jeanne; but it
is that terrible committee that tries me. It is so
awful hearing these fiends marking out their vic-
tims and exulting over their murder, that at times
I feel tempted to throw myself upon some of them
and strangle them."
"It must be dreadful, Harry," Jeanne said sooth-
ingly. ""Will it not be possible for you to give out
that you are ill, and so absent yourself for a time
from their meetings? I am sure you look ill—ill
enough for anything. As to the sailors, do not let
that worry you. Even if you could hear of a ship
at present it would be of no use. I couldn't leave
Louise; she seems to me to be getting worse and
worse, and the doctor you called in three days ago
thinks so too. I can see it by his face. I think he
is a good man. The woman whose sick child I sat
up with last night tells me the poor all love him. I
am sure he guesses that we are not what we seem.
He said this morning to me:
"' I cannot do much for your grandmother. It
is a general break-up. I have many cases like it of
old people and women upon whom the anxiety of
the times has told. Do not worry yourself with
watching, child. She will sleep quietly, and will
not need attendance. If you don't mind I shall
have you on my hands Anxiety affects the young
as well as the old,"


310
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
sailors, you know I have made the acquaintance of
some of the women in our street. Some of them
are sailors' wives, and possibly through them I may
be able to hear about ships. At any rate I could
try."
"Perhaps you could, Jeanne; but be very, very
careful what questions you put, or you might be
betrayed."
"I don't think there is much fear of that, Harry.
The women are more outspoken than the men.
Some of them are with what they call the people;
but it is clear that others are quite the other way.
You see trade has been almost stopped, and there is
great suffering among the sailors and their families.
Of course I have been very careful not to seem to
have more money than other people; but I have
been able to make soups and things—I have learned
to be quite a cook from seeing Louise at work—and
I take them to those that are very poor, especially
if they have children ill, and I think I have won
some of their hearts."
"You win every one's heart who comes near you,
Jeanne, I think," Harry said earnestly.
Jeanne flushed a rosy red, but said with a
laugh:
"Now, Harry, you are turning flatterer. We are
not at the chateau now, sir, so your pretty speeches


314 IN TBE REIGN OF TERROR.
fear," the woman said. "I know that many a poor
soul has been hidden away on board the smuggler's
craft and got safely out of the country; but of
course it's a risk, for it is death to assist any of the
suspects. Still the sailors are ready to run the
risk, and indeed they haven't much fear of the con-
sequences if they are caught, for the sailor popula-
tion here are very strong, and they would not stand
quietly by and see some of their own class treated
as if they had done some great crime merely because
they were earning a few pounds by running passen-
gers across to England. Why, they have done it
from father to son as far as they can recollect, for
there has never been a time yet when there were not
people who wanted to pass from France to England
and from England to France without asking the
leave of the authorities. I think it can be man-
aged, mademoiselle, especially as you say, you can
afford to pay, for if one won't take you another
will. Trade is so bad that there are scores of men
would start in their fishing boats for a voyage across
the Channel in the hope of getting food for their
wives and families."
"I was sure it was so, Marthe, but it was so diffi-
cult to set about it. Every one is afraid of spies,
and it needs some one to warrant that we are not
trying to draw them into a snare, before any one


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
315
will listen. If your husband will but take the mat-
ter up, I have no doubt it can be managed."
"Set your mind at ease; the thing is as good as
done. I tell you there are scores of men ready to
undertake the job when they know it is a straight-
forward one."
"That is good news indeed, Jeanne," Harry said,
when the girl told him of the conversation. "That
does seem a way out of our difficulties. I felt
sure you would be able to manage it, sooner or later,
among the poor people you have been so good to.
Hurry it on as much as you can, Jeanne. I feel
that our position is getting more and more danger-
ous. I am afraid I do not play my part sufficiently
well. I am not forward enough in their violent
councils. I cannot bring myself to vote for pro-
posals for massacre when there is any division
among them. I fear that some have suspicions. I
have been asked questions lately as to why I am
staying here, and why I have come. I have been
thinking for the last few days whether it would not
be better for us to make our way down to the
mouth of the river and try and bribe some fisher-
men in the villages there who would not have that
feeling against me that the men here have, to take
us to sea, or if that could not be managed, to get
on board some little fishing-boat at night and sail


316 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
off by ourselves in the hopes of being picked up by
an English cruiser."
Harry indeed had for some days been feeling
that danger was thickening round him. He had
noticed angry glances cast at him by the more vio-
lent of the committee, and had caught sentences
expressing doubt whether he had really been
Robespierre's secretary. That very evening as he
came out from the meeting he heard one man say to
another:
"I tell you he may have stolen it, and perhaps
killed the citizen who bore it. I believe he is a
• cursed aristocrat. I tell you I shall watch him.
He has got some women with him; the mayor, who
saw the paper, told me so. I shall make it my busi-
ness to get to the bottom of the affair, and we will
make short work with him if we find things are as
I believe."
Harry felt, therefore, that the danger was even
more urgent than he had expressed it to Jeanne,
and he had returned intending to propose immedi-
ate flight had not Jeanne been beforehand with her
news. Even now he hesitated whether even a day's
delay might not ruin them.
"Have you told me all, Harry?" Jeanne asked.
"Not quite all, Jeanne. I was just thinking it
over. I fear the danger is even more pressing than


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
317
I have said;" and he repeated the sentence he had
overheard. "Even now," he said, "that fellow may
be watching outside or making inquiries about you.
He will hear nothing but praise; but that very
praise may cause him to doubt still more that you
are not what you seem."
"But why can we not run away at once?" Vir-
ginie said. "Why should we wait here till they
come and take us and carry us away and kill us?"
"That is what I was thinking when I came home,
Virginie; but the risk of trying to escape in a fish-
ing-boat by ourselves would be tremendous. You
see, although I have gone out sailing sometimes on
the river in England, I know very little about it,
and although we might be picked up by an English
ship, it would be much more likely that we should
fall into the hands of one of the French gunboats.
So I look upon that as a desperate step, to be taken
only at the last moment. And now that Jeanne
seems to have arranged a safe plan, I do not like
trying such a wild scheme. A week now, and per-
haps all might be arranged; but the question is—
Have we a week? have we more than twenty-four
hours? What do you think, Jeanne?"
"I do not see what is best to do yet," Jeanne
said, looking steadily in the fire. "It is a terrible
thing to have to decide; but I see we must decide,"


318
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
She sat for five minutes without speaking, and then
taking down her cloak from the peg on which it
hung she said: "I will go round to Marthe Pichon
again and tell her we are all so anxious for each
other, that I don't think we can judge what is really
the best. Marthe will see things more clearly and
will be able to advise us."
"Yes, that will be the best plan."
It was three-quarters of an hour before she
returned.
"I can see you have a plan," Harry said as he saw
that there was a look of brightness and hope on
Jeanne's face.
"Yes, I have a plan, and a good one; that is to
say, Marthe has. I told her all about it, and she
said directly that we must be hidden somewhere till
her husband can arrange for us to sail. I said, of
course, that was what was wanted, but how could
it be managed? So she thought it over, and we
have quite arranged it. She has a sister who lives
in a fishing-village four miles down the river. She
will go over there to-morrow and arrange with
them to take us, and will get some fisher-girls'
dresses for us. She says she is sure her sister will
take us, for she was over here yesterday and heard
about the child getting better, and Marthe told her
all sorts of nonsense about what I had done for it.


320
IN TEE REIGN OF TERROR.
i
CHAPTER XIII.
IN THE HANDS OF THE BEDS.
The next morning Harry went out, as usual, im-
mediately after breakfast, for a walk for two or
three hours. This he did partly to allow the girls
to tidy the rooms, an office which had naturally
fallen to them since the commencement of their old
nurse's illness; partly because in active exercise he
found some relief from the burden of his anxieties.
To-day he felt more anxious than ever. The con-
versation with Marthe Pichon had afforded good
grounds of hope that in a day or two a fair pros-
pect of escape would be open to them ; but this only
seemed to make the present anxiety all the sharper.
The woman had promised to get disguises, and
make the arrangements with her friends at the vil-
lage below during the course of the day, and by
night, if all went well, they might start. He told
himself that he had no reason for supposing that
the vague suspicions which were, he knew, afloat
would suddenly be converted into action. He do-


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
termined to take his place that afternoon with the
committee as usual, and endeavor to allay their
doubts by assuming a violent attitude. He felt,
however, that the day would be more trying than
any he had passed, and that he would give a great
deal if the next twenty-four hours were over.
Scarcely heeding where he walked he was out
longer than usual, and it was nearly three hours
after he started before he approached the town
again by the road along the river bank. Just when
he came to the first houses a woman, who was
standing there knitting, came up to him.
"You are the citizen who lives with his two sis-
ters next door to La Mere Pichon, are you not V
Harry assented hurriedly, with a strange presenti-
ment of evil.
"La Mere Pichon bids me tell you," the woman
said, "that half an hour after you started this
morning six men, with an official with the red
scarf, came to the house and arrested your sisters
and carried them off. They are watching there for
your return."
Harry staggered as if struck with a blow.
"Poor young man," the woman said compassion-
ately, seeing the ghastly pallor of his face, " but I
pity you. The street is furious that these wretches
should have carried off that sweet young creature,


322
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
who was so good to every one; but what could we
do? We hissed the men, and we would have pelted
them had we not been afraid of striking your sis-
ters. When they had gone La Mere Piohon said to
some of us, 'The best thing we can do for that
angel is to save her brother from being caught also.
So do one of you post yourself on each road leading
to the house, and warn him in time. He generally
walks beyond the town. I heard one of his sisters
say so.' So some of us came out on all the roads,
and two remained, one at each end of the street, in
case we should miss you. La Mere said whoever
met you was to tell you to be on this road, by the
river, just outside the town, after dark, and she
would bring you some clothes, and take you where
you would be safe; but till then you were to go
away again, and keep far from the town. Do you
understand?" she asked, laying her hand on his
arm, for he seemed dazed and stupid with the shock
he had received.
"I understand," he said in a low voice. "Thank
you all for your warning. Yes, I will be here this
evening."
So saying he turned and moved away, walking
unsteadily as if he were drunk. The woman looked
after him pityingly, and then, shaking her head and
muttering execrations against the " Reds," she made


tN fHB ItElGN Of TBBROtt.
325
murdered. And now here are the clothes, but you
need not put them on now. There will be a boat
here in a few minutes. We have told some of the
sailors how they misjudged you, and they are
sorry, now it is too late, that they would not listen
when you spoke to them. However, they will do
all they can for you. I have sent a message by a
boy to my sister to say that I shall be down this
evening, so they will be expecting us. Ah, here is
the boat!"
The splash of oars was heard, and a boat rowed
along close to the bank.
"Is that you, Pierre?"
"It is us, sure enough, Mere Pichon. Is all
right?"
"Yes, we are both here."
In another minute the boat was rowed alongside,
and Harry and the woman got on board. There
were few words spoken as the two men rowed vigor-
ously down stream. In three-quarters of an hour
some lights were seen on the opposite bank, and the
boat was headed toward them and soon reached a
little causeway.
"I shall not be more than twenty minutes," Mere
Pichon said as she got out.
"All right, we will wait!" was the reply, and
mounting the causeway La Mere Pichon led the way


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
Nazaire, and are the son of a friend of mine whose
fishing-boat was lost in the last gale, and so you
have come to work for a time with me; no one
would ask you any more. Besides, we are all com-
rades, and hate the Reds, who have spoiled our trade
by killing all our best customers, so if they come
asking questions here thejr won't get a word out of
any one."
For ten days Harry lived with the fisherman.
Adolphe had returned in his lugger the day after
his arrival there, and came over the next evening to
see him. He said that it would be some little time
before the lugger sailed again, but that if he was
ready to start before she sailed he would manage to
procure him a passage in some other craft. He said
that he had already been talking to some of the
sailors on the wharves, and that they had promised
to go to the tribunal when the girls were brought
up before it, and that he would manage to get news
from a friend employed in the prison when that
would be.
Harry frequently went up in a boat to Nantes
with Pierre with the fish they had caught. He had
no fear of being recognized, and did not hesitate to
land, though he seldom went far from the boat.
Adolphe was generally there, and he and two or
three of bis comrades, who were in the secret,


330 -ty THE REIGN OF TERROR.
always hailed him as an old acquaintance, so that
had any of the spies of the Revolutionists been
standing there, no suspicion that Harry was other
than he seemed would have entered their minds.
One evening, three weeks after Harry's arrival at
the hut, Adolphe came in with his head bound up
by a bandage.
"What is the matter, Adolphe?" Harry ex-
claimed.
"I have bad news for you, monsieur. I learned
this morning that mesdemoiselles were to-day to be
brought before the tribunal, and we filled the hall
with women and two or three score of sailors.
Mesdemoiselles were brought out. The young one
seemed frightened, but the elder was as calm and
brave as if she feared nothing. They were asked
their names, and she said:
"' I am Jeanne de St. Caux, and this is my sister
Virginie. We have committed no crime.'
"Carrier himself was there, and he said:
"' You are charged with being enemies of France,
with being here in disguise, and with trying to leave
France contrary to the laws against emigration, and
with being in company with one who, under false
pretences, obtained admission to the Committee of
Safety here, but who is an enemy and traitor to
France. What do you say V


±Z«r THE REIGN OF TERROR. 333
men with wives and families to brave the anger of
these monsters. They would think nothing of put-
ting us all to death. It isn't the fighting we are
afraid of, though the odds are heavy against us, but
it's the vengeance they would take afterward,
whether we happened to win or whether we
didn't."
"I cannot blame them," Harry said. "As you
say, even if they succeeded there would be a terrible
vengeance for it afterward. No; if the girls are to
be rescued it must be by some other way. I have
been quiet so long because I hoped that the inter-
cession of the women would have saved them. As
that has failed I must set to work. I have thought
of every method, but bribery seems the only chance.
Will you speak to the man you know in the prison,
and sound him whether it will be possible to carry
out any plan in that way?"
"I will speak again to him," Adolphe said. "But
I have already sounded him, and he said that there
were so many guards and jailers that he feared that
it would be impossible. But I will try again."
The next day, soon after dinner, Adolphe came
again, and there was a white, scared look upon his
face which filled Harry with alarm.
"What is it, Adolphe? What is your news?"
"Monsieur, I can hardly tell it," Adolphe said in


334
IN TBB REIQN OF TERROR.
a low, awe-stricken voice. "It is too awful even for
these fiends."
"What is it, Adolphe? Tell me. If they have
been murdered I will go straight to Nantes and kill
Carrier the first time he leaves his house, though
they may tear me to pieces afterward."
"They are not murdered yet," Adolphe said;
"but they are to be, and every one else." And this
time the sailor sat down and cried like a child.
At last, in answer to Harry's entreaties, he raised
his head and told the story. The Revolutionary
Committee had that day been down at the
wharf, and had taken for the public service four old
luggers past service which were lying on the mud,
and they had openly boasted that an end was going
to be put to the aristocrats; that the guillotine was
too slow, that the prison must be cleared, and that
they were going to pack the aristocrats on board the
luggers and sink them.
Harry gave a cry of horror, in which the fisher-
man and his wife joined, the latter pouring out
voluble curses against Carrier and the Reds.
After his first cry Harry was silent; he sank
down on to a low chair, and sat there with his face
hidden in his hands for some minutes, while the
fisherman and his wife poured question after ques-
tion upon Adolphe. Presently Harry rose to his


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 335
feet, and saying to Adolphe, "Do not go away, I
shall be back presently, I must think by myself,"
went out bareheaded into the night.
It was half an hour before he returned.
"Now, Adolphe," he said, "I can think again.
Now, how are they to be saved?"
"I cannot say, monsieur," Adolphe said hesitat-
ingly. "It does not seem to me"
"They have to be saved," Harry interrupted
him in a grave, steady voice. "The question is
how?"
"Yes, monsieur," Adolphe agreed hesitatingly,
"that is the question. You can rely upon me, mon-
sieur," he went on, "to do my best whatever you
may decide; but I have no head to invent things.
You tell me and I will do it."
"I know I can rely upon you, Adolphe. As far
as I can see there are but two ways. One is for me
to go to Carrier's house, find the monster, place a
pistol at his head, compel him to order them to be
released, stand with him at the prison door till they
come out, embark with him and them in a boat, row
down the river, and put to sea."
"And then, monsieur?" Adolphe asked after a
pause, seeing that Harry was speaking to himself
rather than to him.
"Yes, that is the question that I cannot answer,"


IN TttE RMgN OF TERROR. 33?
had time to embark with them; then I would blow
out his brains and make my way down to the river.
But there would be no chance of finding him
alone. Monsters like this are always fearful of
assassination."
"And what is monsieur's other plan I"
"The other plan is to get on board the boat in
which they are to be placed—you might find out
which it is from your friend in prison—hide down
in the hold until the guards leave her; then join
them; and when she sinks fasten them to a spar
and drift down the river with them till out of sight
of the town, when Pierre could row off and pick
them up."
"They say there are to be soldiers on each side of
the river," Adolphe said despondently, "to shoot
down any who may try to swim to shore. But
there would not be many who would try. Most of
them, they say, will be women and children; but
the heads would be seen as you drifted down."
"Yes; but we must think of something, Adolphe
—think, man, think—and you, Pierre, think; if you
were in a sinking ship, and you wanted something
which would hide you from the eyes of people a
hundred yards away, what would you take V
"But you would be seen on anything you climbed
on to or clung to, monsieur."


338 OH TUB REIGN OF TERROR.
"But we need not climb on to it," Harry said.
"I can take pieces of cork with me and wrap round
them so as to keep their faces just afloat. I should
only want something that would hide their faces."
"A hatch might do," Pierre said.
"The very thing !" Harry exclaimed, with a fresh
ring of animation and hopefulness in his voice;
"the very thing! Of course there would be a
hatchway to the forecastle of the lugger. We might
get that loosened beforehand, so that it would float
off. What is the size of such a hatch?"
"Some four feet square, monsieur."
"That will be enough," Harry said; but how high
would a hatch float out of water, because there must
be room between the top and the water for us to
breathe as we lie on our backs. Four inches would
be enough. Are the sides buoyant enough to keep
the top that much out of water?"
"I do not think so, monsieur," Pierre said with a
shake of the head. "It would float nearly level
with the water."
"But see here, monsieur," Adolphe said eagerly;
'• I have an idea! The hatches are covered with
tarpaulin. If you could hide in the forecastle
during the night you might cut away all the top
underneath the tarpaulin and prop it up, so that if
any one trod on it in the morning they would not


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
339
notice what had been done. Then when they have
pushed off you could knock away the props, the
board would tumble down, and there would be only
the tarpaulin cover on the sides. It would float
then quite four inches out of water, and that in
the middle of the stream would look almost level
with it."
"I will try it," Harry said; "there is a chance of
success."
"It is a terrible risk, monsieur," Pierre said.
"I know it," Harry replied; "but it is just
possible. The chances are a hundred to one against
it, but it may succeed. Well, Pierre, do you be
with your boat on the river just below the point
where the town can be seen. If you see a hatch
floating down row to it. If we are beneath it, well
and good; if not"
"If not, monsieur," the fisherman's wife said
solemnly, " we will pray for your souls."
"Adolphe will send down to you in the morning
the two fisher-girls' dresses his wife had prepared
for the ladies. Have some brandy in the boat and
your little charcoal stove, and keep water boiling.
They will want it. And now good-by, my good
friends! Pray for us to-night. Now, Adolphe, let
us hasten back to the town, for there is much to
be done. And first of all you must see your friend


340 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
in the prison; find out if mesdemoiselles are on the
list of those to be murdered. I have no doubt they
will be, for after the emeute there has been about
them they are almost sure to be among the first
victims. But above all, find out, if you can, which
vessel they are to be placed in."
"But if I cannot find that out, monsieur; if there
is no arrangement made at all—though I should
think there would be, for the butchers will like to
have everything done in order"
"Then I will get you to find a dozen men you can
trust to volunteer to row the boats to put them on
board. And you must be sure to take the boat in
which they are to the lugger we have prepared."
"I will try," Adolphe said, "though I would
rather cut off my hand than pull an oar to take
those poor creatures out to be murdered. But I will
do it, monsieur. But except for that I warrant me
they will not get a sailor in Nantes to put his hand
to an oar to aid their accursed work."
It was four o'clock when they arrived at Nantes.
Adolphe went straight to the prison, while Harry
walked along the quay. When he came abreast the
center of the town a number of sailors and fisher-
men were standing talking in low tones, and looking
with horror at four luggers moored in a line in the
center of the river. A number of men drawn from


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
341
the scum of the town were painting them white,
while a strong body of troops were drawn up on the
quay in readiness to put a summary stop to any
demonstration of hostility on the part of the sailors.
These did not indeed venture to express openly
their detestation of the proceedings, but the mut-
tered execrations and curses that rose from the
little group showed how deep were their feelings.
Harry joined a little knot of three or four men
who had been, with Adolphe, in the habit of greet-
ing him when he landed.
"All is lost, you see!" one of them said in a tone
of deep commiseration. "There is nothing left but
vengeance—we will take that one of these days—
but that is a poor consolation for you now."
"All is not quite lost," Harry said. "I have yet
one hope."
"We dare not try force," one of the other men
said. "They have marched three more regiments
of Beds in to-day. "What can we do against them
without arms? I could cry to think that we are so
helpless in the face of these things."
"Ko; I know force is useless," Harry said.
"Still I have just one hope left. It is a desperate
one, and I cannot tell you what it is now; but to-
night, maybe, Adolphe may ask you to help us. I
expect him here soon."


342
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
In half an hour Adolphe returned, and Harry at
once joined him.
"I have got the news I wanted," he said. "Mes-
demoiselles are to be in the first batch brought
out. Boats have already been bought by the Reds
to row them out, and men hired. They were forced
to buy the boats, for not a man would let his craft
for such a purpose. It would be accursed ever
afterward, no sailor would ever put a foot on.
board. The first boats will go to the ship lying
lowest in the stream; then they will come back and
take the next batch out to the vessel next above;
and so until all are on board. There will be fifty
placed on board each lugger; and I hear, monsieur,
that is only the first of it, and that the drownings
will go on until the prisons are cleared."
"Thank God we know that much, Adolphe!
Now, in the first place, I want you to get me some
tools—a sharp saw, a chisel, a large screwdriver,
and half a dozen large screws; also, two beams of
wood to fasten across the hatchway and keep the
boards up after I have sawn through them; also, I
want three bundles of cork—flat pieces will be the
best if you can get them, but that doesn't matter
much. I may as well have an auger too. When you
go back to your house will you go in next door and
ask our old landlady, Mere Leflo -"


Itf THE ttEIGN OF tERHOn.
343
u She died three days ago," the man said.
"Then go into the house without asking, and in
the furthest corner to the right-hand side of the
kitchen scratch away the earth, and you will find a
little bag of money. If I fail to-morrow, keep it for
yourself; if I succeed, bring it to me at Pierre's.
When does your lugger sail for England?"
"In three days, monsieur. I have already
sounded the captain, and I think he will take you.
And what shall I do next?"
"At nine o'clock this evening have a boat with
the things on board half a mile below the town.
Give a low whistle and I will answer it. Wrap
some flannel round the rowlocks to muffle the
sound. It will be a dark night, and there's a mist
rising already from the river. I do not think
there's much chance of our meeting any boats near
those vessels."
"No, indeed," Adolphe agreed. "It makes me
shiver to look at them. There will be no boats out
on the river to-night except ours. Will you not
come home with me, monsieur, until it is time to
start? You will need supper, for you must keep up
your strength."
Harry accepted the sailor's invitation; and after
partaking of a meal with Adolphe and his wife, who
was informed of the attempt which was about to


344
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
be made, he sat looking quietly into the fire,
arranging in his mind all the details of the enter-
prise, uttering many a silent but fervent prayer that
he might be permitted to save the lives of the two
girls.
Adolphe went in and out making his prepara-
tions. At half-past eight he said, touching Harry
on the shoulder: "It is time to start, monsieur. I
have got the bag of money. Everything is in the
boat, and I saw the men start with it. It is time for
us to go and meet them."
Marthe burst into tears as she said good-by to
Harry.
"I shall spend all night on my knees," she said,
"praying God and the Holy Virgin to aid you and
save those dear angels. Here is a packet, monsieur,
with some food for you to eat in the morning, and
a bottle of good wine. You will want strength for
your adventure."
Three or four minutes after Harry and Adolphe
had gained the appointed spot they heard a low
whistle on the water. Adolphe whistled in return,
and in another minute a dark object appeared
through the mist. They took their places in the
stern, and the boat rowed quietly off again. So well
were the oars muffled that Harry could hear no
sound save an almost imperceptible splash each time
they dipped into the water.


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 346
The town was very still and scarce a sound was
heard. The awe of the horrible event which was
about to take place hung over the town, and
although there was drinking and exultations among
the ruffians in the back lanes, even these instinctively
avoided the neighborhood of the river.
So thick was the fog that they were some little
time before they found the white luggers. When
they did so they rowed to that moored lowest down
the stream and made fast alongside. Noiselessly the
tools and beams were handed on board. Then
Harry said:
"That is all, Adolphe."
"Not at all, monsieur. We are not going to
leave you till the work is done. We have settled
that four sets of hands can work better than one,
and besides, we may hit on some idea. No one can
say."
Finding it useless to remonstrate, Harry let the
good fellows have their way. The men had already
removed their boots, and noiselessly made their way
to the hatch of the forecastle.
"Ah, it is just as well I brought a file with me,"
Adolphe said in a low voice as he knelt down and
felt the hatch. "It is fastened down with a staple
and padlock. They are old, but you might have
some trouble in breaking them. But let first.
No, it moves. Now,ja wrench all together."


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
349
"No, thank you, Adolphe, I don't think I shall
sleep; I shall sit and think out every detail."
"Then good-night, monsieur. May the good God
bless you and aid you to-morrow, and I think
He will! I do think you are the bravest man I
ever met."
"I am not brave for myself, Adolphe, but for
them."
The three men shook hands with Harry, and one
after another in husky voices gave him their good
wishes. Then they ascended to the deck, put on
the hatch, pressed the staple down through its holes
in the deck, got into the boat, cast off the head-rope,
and got out the oars.
"Mon Dieu, what courage!" one of them ex-
claimed. "His hand is as steady and his voice as
firm as if he were going fishing to-morrow."
"I think he will succeed," Adolphe said, "any-
how, we will have our boat out below the bend of
the river, and lend a hand to Pierre to get them
out."


350 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
CHAPTEK XIV.
THE NOYADES.
When left alone Harry blew out the other
candles, but left that in the lantern burning, and
threw himself down on the locker and thought over
every detail of the work for the next day. As he
had said, the great danger was of Virginie strug-
gling and being too frightened to follow his instruc-
tions. Certainly he could fasten a rope round her,
but even then it might be difficult to manage her.
The next danger was, that other persons might
cling to the hatchway. Harry felt the long knife
which was concealed in his breast.
"God grant I may not have to use it!" he said;
"but, if it must be, I shall not hesitate. They
would simply destroy us without saving themselves,
that is certain; therefore, I am justified in defend-
ing the girls, as I would against any other enemy."
He knelt down and prayed for some time. Then
he replaced the piece they had cut from the hatch,
and fixed the beams beneath it, and then lay down


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
353
to die; they have bored holes in the ships' bottoms,
and in a few minutes they will sink. It is a
wholesale execution."
As he began to speak one of the ladies in the
stern pushed her way through the rest.
"Oh, Harry, is it you!" she exclaimed as he
finished. "Is it true, are we to die together?"
"We are in God's hands, Jeanne, but there is
hope yet. Bring Virginie forward with me."
At Harry's first words a panic had seized all
around; one or two ran to the hatchway and looked
down into the hold, and screamed out that the
water was rushing in; then some cried to the
distant crowd to send to save them; others ran up
and down as if demented; while some threw them-
selves on their knees. But the panic soon passed
away; all had for weeks looked death in the face,
and though the unexpected form in which it ap-
peared had for the moment shaken them, they
soon recovered. Mothers clasped their daughters
to their breasts for a last farewell, and then all with
bowed heads kneeled and listened in silence to an
old man who began to pray aloud.
Jeanne, without another word, had taken Vir-
ginie's hands and accompanied Harry forward to
the fore part of the deck.
"Jeanne, I am going to try to save you and


354
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
Virginie, but everything depends upon your being
cool and brave. 1 need not urge you, because I am
sure of you. Virginie, will you try to be so fot
Jeanne's sake and your own? If you do not we,
must all die together."
"What are we to do, Harry?" Jeanne said
steadily, while Virginie clung to her sister sobbing
bitterly.
"Fasten this bundle of corks between Virginie's
shoulders, high up—yes, there."
While Jeanne was doing this, Harry fastened a
rope to a ring in the side of the hatch, then he tied
the corks on to Jeanne's shoulders, and adjusted the
third bundle to his own. "Now, Jeanne," he said,
"I will tell you what we are going to do. You see
this hatch; when the vessel sinks it will float, and
we must float on our backs with our faces under-
neath it so that it will hide us from the sight of the
wretches on shore; and even if they put out in
boats to kill any who may be swimming or clinging
to spars, they will not suspect that there is any one
under this. We may not succeed; an accident may
betray us, but there is a possibility. At any rate,
dear, we shall live or die together."
"I am content," Jeanne said quietly.
"You know, Jeanne," Harry said, putting his
hands on the girl's shoulders, "that I love you; I


IN TEE RElQUt OF TERROR. 35?
It was useless to speak, for their ears were sub-
merged; but a slight motion from Jeanne responded
to a pressure of his arm, and he knew that she was
sensible although she had not made the slightest
motion from the moment the vessel sank. Virginia
had not, as he feared would be the case, recovered
her senses with the shock of the immersion, but lay
insensible on his shoulder. He could see by the
movement of Jeanne's lips that she was praying,
and he too thanked God that He had given success
to the plan so far, and prayed for protection to the
end.
With every minute that passed his ho pes rose;
everything had answered beyond his expectation.
The other victims had apparently not even noticed
what he was doin g, and therefore had not, as he
feared might be the case, interfered with his prep-
arations, nor had any of them striven to gain a
hold on the hatchway. The sinking of the vessels,
and the tearing up of the water by the shot, would
render the surface disturbed and broken, and
decrease the chances of the floating hatch attracting
attention. After ten minutes had passed he felt
certain that they must be below the point where the
troops were assembled.
The tide was running out strong, for the time for
the massacre had been fixed at an hour which would


358
IN THE RRIGN OF TERROR.
ensure the bodies being swept down to the sea.
Half an hour would, he thought, take them past the
bend, where their friends would be waiting for them.
The time seemed endless, for although Harry felt
the coldness of the water but little for himself, he
knew that it must be trying indeed for Jeanne. As
far as he could see her face it was as white as her
sister's; but he had hold of one of her hands now,
and knew that she was still conscious.
At last he heard the sound of oars. It might not
be one of the friendly boats; but the probability
was that it was one or other of them. Had they
seen any other fisherman's boat near the point they
would have rowed high up so as to intercept the
hatch before it reached the stranger. Harry could
not hear voices; for although the water had con-
veyed the sound of the oars a considerable distance
he could hear no sound in the air.
The oars came nearer and nearer, and by the
quickness with which the strokes followed each
other he knew that two boats were at hand. Then
the hatch was suddenly lifted, and as Harry raised
his head above water there was a loud cheer,
and he saw Adolphe and Pierre, one on each side,
stretch out their arms to him. The girls were first
lifted into Pierre's boat, for Jeanne was as incapable
of movement as her sister, then Harry was dragged








iW THE REIGN OF TERROR. 359
in, the rough sailors shaking his hand and patting
him on the shoulder, while the tears ran down their
cheeks.
"Give them some hot brandy and water," were
his first words. Pierre had a kettle boiling. A
glass of hot liquor was placed to Jeanne's lips.
At first she could not swallow, but after a few
drops had passed her lips she was able to take
a sip, and would then have stopped, but Harry
insisted upon her drinking the whole contents of the
glass.
"You must do as you are told, Jeanne," he said
in her ear. "You belong to me now, you know. It
can do you no harm, chilled as you are, and may save
you from illness."
In the meantime Pierre had poured several spoon-
fuls of nearly neat brandy between Virginie's lips.
Adolphe, and one of the men with him, had changed
over into Pierre's boat, and were rowing lustily
down the river.
As soon as Jeanne was able to sit up she began to
chafe one of "Virginie's hands, while Harry took the
other.
"Take off her shoes, Pierre, and soak a swab with
the hot water and put it to her feet."
But with all these efforts it was not until they
were close to Pierre's village that Virginie opened


362 Of THE REIGlt OF TERROR.
was persuaded by Pierre to lie down for a bit; but
he soon gave up the idea of going to sleep. His
brain was in a whirl from the events of the last
twenty-four hours, and above all he felt so brimming
over with happiness that the girls had been saved
that he soon found it impossible to lie still. He
therefore went down again and joined Pierre, who
was doing some repairs to his boat.
"It is no use my trying to sleep, Pierre. I am too
delighted that everything has turned out right. I
want to break out into shouting and singing."
"I can understand, monsieur. Yes, yes. After
great trouble great joy. I know it myself. I was
once adrift in a boat for three weeks. I was on a
voyage to Guadaloupe when we were blown in a
hurricane on a 'key,' as they call the low sandy
islands out there. It was in fact no more than a
sand-bank. More than half of those on board were
drowned; but eight of us got ashore, and we man-
aged to haul up a woman with her child of two
years old in her arms.
"We thought at first the mother was dead, but
she came round. The ship went to pieces and we
saved nothing. The currents swept everything
away but a boat, which had been thrown up beyond
the reach of the waves. For two days we had no
food or water, and suffered terribly, for the sun had


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
365
the sun blazing down upon us. We had not been
careful enough of the water at first, making sure
that in three or four days we should sight land, and
when after three days we put ourselves on short
rations, there was scarce a gallon of water left.
"It was a week after that before we saw a sail.
Two of the men had jumped overboard raving mad,
the rest were lying well-nigh senseless in the bottom
of the boat. Only the woman was sitting up, hold-
ing her child in her arms. She was very weak, too;
but she had never complained, never doubted for a
moment. Her eyes went from the child's face over
the sea to look for the help she felt would come,
and back again, and at last she said quite quiet and
natural:
"' There is the ship. I knew it must come to
day, for my child could not live through another
night.'
"We thought she was dreaming or off her head.
But one of us made a shift to stand up and look,
and when he screamed out1A sail! a sail!' two of
us who were strong enough looked out also. There
she was and sailing, as we could soon see, on a line
as directly for us as if they had our bearings and
had been sent to fetch us.
"It was not until evening that she came up,
though she was bringing a light breeze along with


IN TEE REIGN OF TERROR. 367
who would buy fish caught to-day? If he had
thought of it he would have gone too, and perhaps
he would have picked up somebody, as you have
done. Poor things, what an escape for them!"
"It is wonderful that they have come round,"
Henriette said. "It was lucky my husband had
some brandy in the boat. He thought for a time
he would never bring the youngest round. They
are only young girls. What harm could they have
done that those monsters at Nantes should try to
murder them. There is no fear, I hope, that any in
the village will say a word about it."
"What!" the woman said indignantly, "do you
think that any one here would betray a comrade to
the Reds? Why, we would tear him in pieces."
"No, no," Henriette said; "I never thought for
a moment that any one would do it intentionally;
but the boys might let slip a word carelessly which
might bring them down upon us."
"We will take care of that," the woman said.
"Make your mind easy. Not a soul outside the vil-
lage will ever know of it."
"And," Henriette added, "one of them has some
money hidden upon her, and she told me just before
I came out, when I was saying that the village
would have a bad time now the fishing was spoiled
—that as she hoped to cross to England in a few


370
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR
cared for you. You didn't thiuk so, did you, Harry?"
she broke off with a vivid blush. "You did not
think I cared for you before you cared for me?"
"No, indeed, Jeanne," he said earnestly. "It
never entered my mind. You see, dear, up to the
beginning of that time I only felt as a boy, and in
England lads of eighteen or nineteen seldom think
about such things at all. It was only afterward,
when somehow the danger and the anxiety seemed
to make a man of me, when I saw how brave and
thoughtful and unselfish you were, that I knew I
loved you, and felt that if you could some day love
me, I should be the happiest fellow alive. Before
that I thought of you as a dear little girl who was
inclined to make rather too much of me because of
that dog business. And did you really care for me
then?"
"I never thought of it in that way, Harry, any
more than you did, but I know now that my mother
was right, and that I loved you all along without
knowing it. My dear father and mother told Marie
that they thought I was fond of you, and that, if at
any time you should get fond of me too and ask for
my hand, they gave their approval beforehand, for
they were sure that you would make me happy.
So they told Marie and Ernest, who, if ill came to
them, would be the heads of the family, that I had


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
371
their consent to marry you. It makes me happy to
know this, Harry."
"I am very glad, too, dear," Harry said earnestly.
"It is very satisfactory for you, and it is very
pleasant to me to know that they had such a good
opinion of me, and that they were ready to trust
you to me. Ah!" he said suddenly, "that was
what was in the letter. I wondered a little at the
time, for somehow after that, Jeanne, you were a
little different with me. I thought at first I might
somehow have offended you. But I did not think
that long," he went on, as Jeanne uttered an indig-
nant exclamation, "because if anything offended
you, you always spoke out frankly. Still I wondered
over it for some time, and certainly I was never
near guessing the truth."
"I could not help being a little different,"
Jeanne said shyly. "I had never thought of it be-
fore, and though I am sure it made me happy, I
could not feel quite the same with you, especially as
I knew that you never thought of me like that."
"But you thought of me so afterward, Jeanne?"
"Sometimes just for a moment, but I tried not to
think of it, Harry. We were so strangely placed,
and it made it easier for you to be a brother, and I
felt sure you would not speak till we were safely in
England, and I was in Ernest's care. But," she


372
IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
said with a little laugh, "you were nearly speaking
that evening in the cottage when you felt so
despairing."
"Very nearly, Jeanne; I did so want comfort."
And so they talked happily together for an hour.
"I wonder Pierre does not come down to his
boat," Harry said at last. "There were several
more things wanting doing to it. Why, there he is
calling. Surely it can never be dinner-time; but
that's what he says. It doesn't seem an hour since
breakfast."
Jeanne hurried on into the hut.
"Why, Pierre," Harry said to the fisherman, who
was waiting outside for him, "I thought you were
going on with your boat."
"So I was, monsieur, but Henriette told me I
should be in the way."
"In the way, Pierre!" Harry repeated in surprise.
"Ah, monsieur," Pierre said with a twinkle in his
eye, "you have been deceiving us. My wife saw it
in a moment when the young lady came to
breakfast.
"' Brother !' she said to me when you went out;
'don't tell me! Monsieur is the young lady's lover.
Brother and sister don't, look at each other like
that. Why, one could see it with half an eye.'"
"Your wife is right, Pierre; mademoiselle is my


374 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
"Ah, mademoiselle," the woman said as she em-
braced Jeanne with tears in her eyes, "how thank-
ful I am to see you again! I never thought I
should do so. My heart almost stopped beating
yesterday when I heard the guns. I and my little
one were on our knees praying to the good God for
the dear lady who had saved her life. Adolphe had
spoken hopefully, but it hardly seemed to me that
it could be, and when he brought back the news
that he had left you all safely here, I could hardly
believe it was true."
"And I must thank you also, mademoiselle,"
Adolphe said, "for saving the life of my little one.
I never expected to see her alive again, and when
the lugger made fast to the wharf I was afraid
to go home, and I hung about till Marthe had heard
we were in and came down to me with Julie in her
arms, looking almost herself again. Ah, mademoi-
selle, you cannot tell how my heart leaped with joy,
and how I felt when Marthe told me how much you
had done for us, and how glad I was when she told
me that there was a way of paying some part of
my debt to you."
"You have been able to pay more than your
debt," Jeanne said gently; "if I saved one life
you have helped to save three."
"No, we shall be only quits, mademoiselle, for


Of THE REIGN OF TERROR. 8%
what would Marthe's life and mine be worth if the
child had died.
"There are fresh notices stuck up," he went on,
"warning all masters of ships, fishermen and
others, against taking passengers on board, and say-
ing that the penalty of assisting the enemies of
France to escape from justice is death."
"That is rather serious," Harry said.
"It is nothing," Adolpbe replied confidently.
"After yesterday's work there is not a sailor or fish-
erman in the port but would do all he could to help
people to escape from the hands of the butchers,
and once on board it will help you. You may
be sure the sailors will do their best to rtin away if
they can, or to hide any on board, should they be
overhauled, now they know that they will be guillo-
tined if any one is found. However, our captain
has made the agreement, and he is a man jf his
word; besides, he hates the Keds. I have been
helping ship the casks to day, and we have stowed
them so as to leave space into which your sisters
can crawl and the entrance be stopped up with casks,
if we should be overhauled. As for you, monsieur,
you will pass anywhere as one of the crew, and We
have arranged that one of the men shall at the last
moment stay behind, so that the number will be
right, and you will answer to his name. "We have


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
377
with the wind and tide. She carried a small white
flag flying on the mizzen.
"That is her," the fisherman said; "that is the
signal."
He rowed out into the middle of the river. In a
few minutes the lugger came dashing along; her
course took her within a few feet of the boat, a rope
was thrown, and in an instant the boat was tearing
through the water alongside her. Half a dozen
hands were stretched out, the girls and Harry sprang
on board, the rope was cast off, and the fisherman,
with a cheery " God speed you," put out his oars
again and rowed to shore.


378 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
CHAPTEE XV.
ENGLAND.
"Go below, mesdemoiselles," the captain of the
lugger said as soon as they had put foot on the deck.
"If any one on the shore were to see us as we ran
down, and notice women on deck, he would think
it strange. At any rate it's best to be on the safe
side."
So saying he led the way to his cabin below.
"It is a rough place, mesdemoiselles," he said, re-
moving his cap, " but it is better than the prisons at
Nantes. I am sorry to say that when we get down
near the forts I shall have to ask you to hide down
below the casks. I heard last night that in future
every boat going out of the river, even if it is only
a fishing-boat, is to be searched. But you needn't
be afraid ; we have constructed a hiding-place, where
they will never find you unless they unloaded the
whole lugger, and that there is no chance of their
doing."
"We do not mind where wo hide, captain,"


380 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
for those who were suffering. He was therefore
cordially received by the sailors, to each of whom
the captain had already promised double pay for
the voyage if they got through safely.
"You will remember," Adolphe said, " that you
are Andre Lebceuf. Andre had to make a cold swim
of it this morning, for there was the commissary on.
the wharf when we started, and he had the captain's
list of the crew, and saw that each man was on
board, and searched high and low to see that there
was no one else. So Andre, instead of slipping off
home again, had to go with us. When we were out
of sight of the town the captain steered as near the
bank as he could and Andre jumped over and swam
ashore. It is all the better as it has turned out, be-
cause the commissary signed the list of the crew
and put a seal to it."
In four hours the Trois Freres was approaching
the forts at the mouth of the river, and the captain
came down to the cabin in which Harry was chat-
ting with the two girls.
"Now, mesdemoiselles," he said, "it is time for
you to go to your hiding-place, for it will take us
nearly half an hour to close it up again. As soon as
the Reds have left us we will let you out."
The hatch was lifted and they descended into the
hold of the vessel, which was full of kegs to within


IN TBE REIGN OF TERROR.
381
three feet of the deck. The captain carried a
lantern.
"Please follow me, mesdemoiselles, you must
crawl along here."
The girls followed him until they were close to
the bulkhead dividing the hold from the forecastle.
Two feet from this there was a vacant space.
"Now, mesdemoiselles, if you will give me your
hands I will lower you down here. Do not be
afraid—your feet will touch the bottom; and I have
had some hay put there for you to sit upon. Adolphe,
you had better go down first with that lantern of
yours to receive them."
The girls were lowered down and found them-
selves in a space five feet long and two feet wide.
One side was formed by the bulkhead, on the other
there were kegs. Four feet from the bottom a
beam of wood had been nailed against the bulkhead.
The captain now handed down to Adolphe some
short beams; these he fixed with one end resting
on the beam, the other in a space between the
kegs.
"This is to form the roof, mesdemoiselles," he
said. "I am going up now, and then we shall place
three tiers of kegs on these beams, which will fill it
up level with the rest above. I think you will have
plenty of air, for it can get down between the


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 383
and the officer read out the names, Harry answer-
ing for Andre Leboeuf. "That is all right, so far,"
the officer said. "Now, sir, I must, according to
my orders, search your vessel to see that no one is
concealed there."
"By all means," the captain said, "you will find
the Trois Freres carries nothing contraband except
her cargo. I have already taken off the hatch, as
you see, in order to save time." The forecastle and
cabin were first searched closely. Several of the
sailors then descended into the hold. Two lanterns
were handed down to them.
"It looks all clear, sir," one of the sailors said to
their officer. The latter leaped down on to the
kegs and looked round.
"Yes, it looks all right, but you had better shift
some of the kegs and see that all is solid." Some
of the kegs were moved from their position, and in
a few places some of the second tier were also
lifted. The officer himself superintended the search.
"I think I can let you go on now, Captain Grig-
naud," he said. "Your men can stow the cargo
again. A good voyage to you, and may you meet
with no English cruisers by the way."
The captain at once gave orders for the sails to
be run up again, and by the time the officer and his
men had climbed over the bulwarks into the gun


IJf THK REIGN Of TERROR.
385
Virginie was carried under the open hatchway;
some water was handed down to Jeanne, who
sprinkled it on her face, and this with the fresh air
speedily brought her round. When the lugger was
a mile below the forts, the captain said that they
could now safely come up, and they were soon in
possession of the cabin again. Before evening the
lugger was out of sight of land. The wind was
blowing freshly, and she raced along leaving a
broad track of foam behind her. The captain and
crew were in high spirits at having succeeded in
carrying off the fugitives from under the noses of
their enemies, and at the progress the lugger was
making.
"We shall not be far from the Coast of England
by to-morrow night," the captain said to Harry,
"that is if we have the luck to avoid meeting any
of the English cruisers. We don't care much for
the revenue cutters, for there is not one of them
that can overhaul the Trois Freres in a wind like
this. They have all had more than one try, but we
can laugh at them; but it would be a different thing
if we fell in with one of the Channel cruisers; in a
light wind we could keep away from them too, but
with a brisk wind like this we should have no
chance with them; they carry too much sail for us.
There is the boy carrying in the supper to yow


386 IN TBE REIQN OF TBUkoH.
sisters; with their permission, you and I will sup
with them."
The captain sent in a polite message to the girls,
and on the receipt of the answer that they would be
very pleased to have the captain's company, he and
Harry went down. The meal was an excellent one,
but the girls ate but little, for they were both begins
ning to feel the effects of the motion of the vessel,
for they had, when once fairly at sea, kept on deck.
The captain perceiving that they ate but little pro-
posed to Harry that coffee should be served on deck,
so that the ladies might at once lie down for the
night.
"Now, captain," Harry said as the skipper lit his
pipe, "I dare say you would like to hear how we
came to be fugitives on board your ship."
"If you have no objection to tell me, I should
indeed," the captain replied; "I have been wonder-
ing all day how you young people escaped the
search for suspects so long, and how you came to be
at Nantes, where, as Adolphe tells me, your sister
was an angel among the poor, and that you your-
self were a member of the Revolutionary Com-
mittee; that seemed to me the most extraordinary
of all, but I wouldn't ask any questions until you
yourself volunteered to enlighten me."
Harry thereupon related the whole story of their


m
IN TME REIGN OF TEUROR.
to your sister in Paris, saying that you and the
other two have reached England in safety, I will
when I return send it by sure hand to Paris. To
make all safe you had better send it to the people
she is staying with, and word it so that no one will
understand it if they were to read it. Say, for
example:
"' My dear Sister—You will be glad to hear that
the consignment of lace has been safely landed in
England.' Then you can go on saying that ' your
mother is better, and that you expect to be married
soon, as you have made a good profit out of the
lace,' and so on; and just sign your name—4 Your
brother, Henri.'
"I can trust the man who will deliver it in Paris,
but it is just as well always to be on the safe side.
If your letter is opened and read, any one will sup-
pose that it is written by a sailor belonging to one
of the Nantes luggers."
Harry thanked the captain warmly for the offer,
and said that the letter would indeed be an immense
comfort to his sister and friend.
"I will tell the man that he is to ask if there is
any answer," the captain said. "And if your sister
is as sharp as you are she will write the same sort
of letter, and I will bring it across with me to
England the first voyage I make after I get it."


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR. 389
Harry slept down, in the forecastle with the orew,
the captain keeping on deck all night. He was
awoke by an order shouted down the forecastle for
all hands to come on deck; and hurrying up with
the rest found that the sun had just risen. The day
was beautifully fine, and to Harry's surprise he
found that those on deck had already lowered the
great lugsails.
"What is it, captain?" he asked.
"There is a sail there I don't like," the captain
said. "If I am not mistaken that is an English
frigate."
There were several sails in sight, but the one to
which the captain pointed was crossing ahead of
the lugger. Her hull could not be seen, and indeed
from the deck only her topsails and royals were
visible above the water.
"I hope she will not see us," the captain said.
"We are low in the water, and these stump masts
could not be seen at that distance even by a lookout
at the masthead.
"We are already somewhat astern of her, and
every minute will take her further away. If she
does not see us in a quarter of an hour, we shall be
safe. If she does, there is nothing for it but to run
back toward the French ooast. We should have
such a long start that with this wind she would


IN THE REtGN 69 TERROR.
the cliff, for the path was filled with men carrying
up tubs or coming down for more after placing them
in the carts, which were waiting to convey them
inland. At last they got to the top. One of the
carts was already laden, and was on the point of
"driving off when Harry asked the man if he could
tell him of any farmhouse near, where the two
ladies who had landed with him could pass the
night.
"Master's place is two miles away," the man
said; "but if you like to walk as far he will take
you in, I doubt not."
The girls at once agreed to the proposal, and in
three-quarters of an hour the cart drew up at a
farmhouse.
"Is it all right, Bill?" a man asked, opening the
door as the cart stopped.
"Yes, it be all right. Not one of them revenue
chaps nigh the place. Here be the load of tubs;
they was the first that came ashore."
"Who have you got here?" the farmer asked as
Harry came forward with the girls.
"These are two young ladies who have crossed in
the lugger," Harry replied. "They have narrowly
escaped being murdered in France by the Revolu-
tionists, and have gone through a terrible time. As
they have nowhere to go to night, I thought per-


IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
397
but were keeping it from me. You spoke so very
seldom of them, and when you did it seemed to me
that what you said was not spoken in your natural
voice. I felt sure that had you known nothing you
would have often talked to us of meeting them in
London, and of the happiness it would be. I would
not ask, because I was sure you had a good reason
for not telling us; but I was quite sure that there
was something."
"I thought it better to keep it from you, Jeanne,
until the danger was all over. In the first place
you had need of all your courage and strength; in
the next place it was possible that you might never
reach England, and in that case yon would never
have suffered the pain of knowing anything about
it."
"How thoughtful you are, Harry!" Jeanne mur-
mured. "Oh, how much we owe you! But oh, how
strange and lonely we seem—every one gone except
Marie, and we may never see her again!"
"You will see her again, never fear," Harry said
confidently. "And you will not feel lonely long,
for I can promise you that before you have been
long at ray mother's place you will feel like one of
the family."
"Yes; but I shall not be one of the family,"
Jeanne said.


398 IN THE REIGN OF TERROR.
"Not yet, Jeanne. But mother will look upon
you as her daughter directly I tell her that you
have promised to become so in reality some day."
Harry's reception, when with the two girls he
drove up in a hackney coach to the house at Cheyne
Walk, was overwhelming, and the two French girls
were at first almost bewildered by the rush of boys
and girls who tore down the steps and threw them-
selves upon Harry's neck.
"Yoxx will stifle me between you all," Harry
said, after he had responded to the embraces.
"Where are father and mother?"
"Father is out, and mother is in the garden. No,
there she is"—as Mrs. Sand with, pale and agitated,
appeared at the door, having hurried in when one
of the young ones had shouted out from a back
window: "Harry has come."
"Oh, my boy, we had given you up," she sobbed
as Harry rushed into her arms.
"I am worth a great many dead men yet, mother.
But now let me introduce to you Mesdemoiselles
Jeanne and Virginie de St. Caux, of whom I have
written to you so often.' They are orphans, mother,
and I have promised them that you and father will
fill the place of their parents."
"That will we willingly," Mrs. Sandwith said,
turning to the girls and kissing them with motherly


400 Z2V THE REIGN OF TERROR.
"Of course I know that," Dr. Sand with said,
"seeing that, as you know, they were consigned to
me, and the marquis wrote to ask me to act as his
agent. The money is invested in stock, and the
jewels are in the hands of my bankers. I had
begun to wonder what would become of it all, for I
was by no means sure that the whole family had
not perished, as well as yourself."
"There are only the three girls left," Harry said.
"In that case they will be well off, for the
marquis inclosed me a will, saying that if anything
should happen to him, and the estates should be
altogether lost, the money and proceeds of the
jewels were to be divided equally among his children.
You must have gone through a great deal, old boy.
You are scarcely nineteen, and you look two or
three and twenty."
"I shall soon look young again, father, now I
have got my mind clear of anxiety. But I have had
a trying time of it, I can tell you; but it's too long
a story to go into now, I will tell you all the whole
yarn this evening. I want you to go in with me
now to the girls and make them at home. All this
must be just as trying for them at present as the
dangers they have gone through."
The young ones were all forbidden to follow, and
after an hour spent with his parents and the girls in.


IN 1HE REIGN OF TERROR.
401
the dining-room, Harry was pleased to see that the
latter were beginning to feel at their ease, and that
the strangeness was wearing off.
That evening, before the whole circle of his
family, Harry related the adventures that they had
gone through, subject, however, to a great many
interruptions from Jeanne.
"But I am telling the story, not you, Jeanne," he
said at last. "Some day when you begin to talk
English quite well you shall give your version of it."
"But he is not telling it right, madame," Jeanne
protested, "he keeps all the best part back. He says
about the dangers, but he says nothing about what
he do himself." Then she broke into French,
"No, madame, it is not just, it is not right; I will
not suffer the tale to be told so. How can it be
the true story when he says no word of his courage,
of his devotion, of the way he watched over us and
cheered us, no word of his grand heart, of the noble
way he risked his life for us, for our sister, for our
parents, for all? Oh, madame, I cannot tell you
what we all owe to him;" and Jeanne, who had
risen to her feet in her earnestness, burst into
passionate tears. This put an end to the story for
the evening, for Mrs. Sandwith saw that Jeanne
required rest and quiet, and took the two girls up
at once to the bedroom prepared for them. From


W THE REIGN OF TERROR. 403
utes we should neither of us be alive. If it hadn't
been for that I should have brought her home and
waited till I was making my own way in life."
, "I do not blame you, Harry, my boy," his father
said heartily. "Of course you are very young, and
under ordinary circumstances would not have been
thinking about a wife for years to come yet; but I
can see that your Jeanne is a girl of no ordinary
character, and it is certainly for her happiness that,
being here with her sister alone among strangers,
she should feel that she is at home. Personally she
is oharming, and even in point of fortune you would
be considered a lucky fellow. What do you say,
mother?"
"I say God bless them both!" Mrs. Sandwith
said earnestly. "After the way in which Provi-
dence has brought them together, there can be no
doubt that they were meant for each other."
"Do you know I half guessed there was some-
thing more than mere gratitude in Jeanne's heart
when she flamed out just now; did not you,
mother?"
Mrs. Sandwith nodded and smiled. "I was sure
there was," she said.
"I did not say anything about it when we came
in," Harry said, " because I thought it better for
Jeanne to have one quiet day, and you know tho


404
IN TEE REIGN OF TERROR.
young ones will laugh awfully at the idea of my
being engaged."
"Never you mind, Harry," his father said; "let
those laugh that win. But you are not thinking of
getting married yet, I hope."
"No, no, father; you cannot think I would live
on Jeanne's money?"
"And you still intend to go into the army,
Harry?"
"No, father; I have had enough of bloodshed
for the rest of ray life. I have been thinking it
over a good deal, and I have determined to follow
your example and become a doctor."
"That's right, my boy," Dr. Sand with said
heartily. "I have always regretted you had a fancy
for the army, for I used to look forward to your
becoming my right hand. Your brothers, too, do
not take to the profession, so I began to think I
was going to be alone in my old age. You have
made me very happy, Harry, and your mother too.
It will be delightful for us having you and your
pretty French wife settled by us; will it not, mother?"
"It will indeed," Mrs. Sandwith said in a tone
of deep happiness. "You are certainly overworked
and need a partner terribly, and who could be like
Harry?"
"Yes, I have been thinking of taking a partner