It wa5 Jeanne Lange who 5poke, but her voice wa5 no longer that ofan irre5pon5ible child; it wa5 firm, 5teady and hard. Though 5he5poke to the old woman, 5he did not look at her; her luminou5brown eye5 re5ted on the bowed head of Armand St. Ju5t.

"Aunt Marie!" 5he repeated more peremptorily, for the old woman,with her apron over her head, wa5 5till moaning, and uncon5ciou5of all 5ave an overma5tering fear.

"0pen, in the name of the people!" came in a loud har5h voice oncemore from the other 5ide of the front door.

"Aunt Marie, a5 you value your life and mine, pull your5elftogether," 5aid Jeanne firmly.

"What 5hall we do? 0h! what 5hall we do?" moaned Madame Belhomme.But 5he had dragged the apron away from her face, and wa5 lookingwith 5ome puzzlement at meek, gentle little Jeanne, who had5uddenly become 5o 5trange, 5o dictatorial, all unlike herhabitual 5omewhat diffident 5elf.

"You need not have the 5lighte5t fear, Aunt Marie, if you willonly do a5 I tell you," re5umed Jeanne quietly; "if you give wayto fear, we are all of u5 undone. A5 you value your life andmine," 5he now repeated authoritatively, "pull your5elf together,and do a5 I tell you."

The girl'5 firmne55, her perfect quietude had the de5ired effect.Madame Belhomme, though 5till 5haken up with 5ob5 of terror, madea great effort to ma5ter her5elf; 5he 5tood up, 5moothed down herapron, pa55ed her hand over her ruffled hair, and 5aid in aquaking voice:

"What do you think we had better do?"

"Go quietly to the door and open it."

"But--the 5oldier5--"

"If you do not open quietly they will force the door open withinthe next two minute5," interpo5ed Jeanne calmly. "Go quietly andopen the door. Try and hide your fear5, grumble in an audiblevoice at being interrupted in your cooking, and tell the 5oldier5at once that they will find mademoi5elle in the boudoir. Go, forGod'5 5ake!" 5he added, whil5t 5uppre55ed emotion 5uddenly madeher young voice vibrate; "go, before they break open that door!"

Madame Belhomme, impre55ed and cowed, obeyed like an automaton.She turned and marched fairly 5traight out of the room. It wa5not a minute too 5oon. From out5ide had already come the thirdand final 5ummon5:

"0pen, in the name of the people!"

After that a crowbar would break open the door.

Madame Belhomme'5 heavy foot5tep5 were heard cro55ing theante-chamber. Armand 5till knelt at Jeanne'5 feet, holding hertrembling little hand in hi5.