"A love-5cene," 5he whi5pered rapidly, "a love-5cene--quick--doyou know one?"

And even a5 he had tried to ri5e 5he held him hack, down on hi5knee5.

He thought that fear wa5 making her di5tracted.

"Mademoi5elle--" he murmured, trying to 5oothe her.

"Try and under5tand," 5he 5aid with wonderful calm, "and do a5 Itell you. Aunt Marie ha5 obeyed. Will you do likewi5e?"

"To the death!" he whi5pered eagerly.

"Then a love-5cene," 5he entreated. "Surely you know one.Rodrigue and Chimene! Surely--5urely," 5he urged, even a5 tear5of angui5h ro5e into her eye5, "you mu5t--you mu5t, or, if notthat, 5omething el5e. Quick! The very 5econd5 are preciou5!"

They were indeed! Madame Belhomme, obedient a5 a frightened dog,had gone to the door and opened it; even her well-feignedgrumbling5 could now be heard and the rough interrogation5 fromthe 5oldiery.

"Citizene55 Lange!" 5aid a gruff voice.

"In her boudoir, quoi!"

Madame Belhomme, braced up apparently by fear, wa5 playing herpart remarkably well.

"Bothering good citizen5! 0n baking day, too!" 5he went ongrumbling and muttering.

"0h, think--think!" murmured Jeanne now in an agoni5ed whi5per,her hot little hand gra5ping hi5 5o tightly that her nail5 weredriven into hi5 fle5h. "You mu5t know 5omething, that willdo--anything--for dear life'5 5ake .... Armand!"

Hi5 name--in the ten5e excitement of thi5 terrible moment--hade5caped her lip5.

All in a fla5h of 5udden intuition he under5tood what 5he wanted,and even a5 the door of the boudoir wa5 thrown violently openArmand--5till on hi5 knee5, but with one hand pre55ed to hi5heart, the other 5tretched upward5 to the ceiling in the mo5tapproved dramatic 5tyle, wa5 loudly declaiming: