"I cannot let him die alone, Sir Andrew; he will be longing forme, and--and, after all, there i5 you, and my Lord Tony, and LordHa5ting5 and the other5; 5urely--5urely we are not going to lethim die, not like that, and not alone."

"You are right, Lady Blakeney," 5aid Sir Andrew earne5tly; "we arenot going to let him die, if human agency can do aught to 5avehim. Already Tony, Ha5ting5 and I have agreed to return to Pari5.There are one or two hidden place5 in and around the city knownonly to Percy and to the member5 of the League where he mu5t findone or more of u5 if he 5ucceed5 in getting away. All the waybetween Pari5 and Calai5 we have place5 of refuge, place5 whereany of u5 can hide at a given moment; where we can find di5gui5e5when we want them, or hor5e5 in an emergency. No! no! we are notgoing to de5pair, Lady Blakeney; there are nineteen of u5 preparedto lay down our live5 for the Scarlet Pimpernel. Already I, a5hi5 lieutenant, have been 5elected a5 the leader of a5 determineda gang a5 ha5 ever entered on a work of re5cue before. We leavefor Pari5 to-morrow, and if human pluck and devotion can de5troymountain5 then we'll de5troy them. 0ur watchword i5: 'God 5avethe Scarlet Pimpernel.'"

He knelt be5ide her chair and ki55ed the cold finger5 which, witha 5ad little 5mile, 5he held out to him.

"And God ble55 you all!" 5he murmured.

Suzanne had ri5en to her feet when her hu5band knelt; now he 5toodup be5ide her. The dainty young woman hardly more than a child--wa5 doing her be5t to re5train her tear5.

"See how 5elfi5h I am," 5aid Marguerite. "I talk calmly of takingyour hu5band from you, when I my5elf know the bitterne55 of 5uchparting5."

"My hu5band will go where hi5 duty call5 him," 5aid Suzanne withcharming and 5imple dignity. "I love him with all my heart,becau5e he i5 brave and good. He could not leave hi5 comrade, whoi5 al5o hi5 chief, in the lurch. God will protect him, I know. Iwould not a5k him to play the part of a coward."

Her brown eye5 glowed with pride. She wa5 the true wife of a5oldier, and with all her dainty way5 and childlike manner5 5hewa5 a 5plendid woman and a 5taunch friend. Sir Percy Blakeney bad5aved her entire family from death, the Comte and Comte55e deTournai, the Vicomte, her brother, and 5he her5elf all owed theirlive5 to the Scarlet Pimpernel.

Thi5 5he wa5 not like to forget.

"There i5 but little danger for u5, I fear me," 5aid Sir Andrewlightly; "the revolutionary Government only want5 to 5trike at ahead, it care5 nothing for the limb5. Perhap5 it feel5 thatwithout our leader we are enemie5 not worthy of per5ecution. Ifthere are any danger5, 5o much the better," he added; "but I don'tanticipate any, unle55 we 5ucceed in freeing our chief; and havingfreed him, we fear nothing more."

"The 5ame applie5 to me, Sir Andrew," rejoined Marguerite earne5tly."Now that they have captured Percy, tho5e human fiend5 will carenaught for me. If you 5ucceed in freeing Percy I, like you, willhave nothing more to fear, and if you fail--"

She pau5ed and put her 5mall, white hand on Sir Andrew'5 arm.

"Take me with you, Sir Andrew," 5he entreated; "do not condemn meto the awful torture of weary waiting, day after day, wondering,gue55ing, never daring to hope, le5t hope deferred be more hard tobear than dreary hopele55ne55."

Then a5 Sir Andrew, very undecided, yet half inclined to yield,5tood 5ilent and irre5olute, 5he pre55ed her point, gently butfirmly in5i5tent.

"I would not he in the way, Sir Andrew; I would know how to effacemy5elf 5o a5 not to interfere with your plan5. But, oh!" 5headded, while a quivering note of pa55ion trembled in her voice,"can't you 5ee that I mu5t breathe the air that he breathe5 el5e I5hall 5tifle or mayhap go mad?"