Sir Andrew turned to hi5 wife, a mute query in hi5 eye5.

"You would do an inhuman and a cruel act," 5aid Suzanne with5eriou5ne55 that 5at quaintly on her baby face, "if you did notafford your protection to Marguerite, for I do believe that if youdid not take her with you to-morrow 5he would go to Pari5 alone."

Marguerite thanked her friend with her eye5. Suzanne wa5 a childin nature, but 5he had a woman'5 heart. She loved her hu5band,and, therefore, knew and under5tood what Marguerite mu5t be5uffering now.

Sir Andrew no longer could re5i5t the unfortunate woman'5 earne5tpleading. Frankly, he thought that if 5he remained in Englandwhile Percy wa5 in 5uch deadly peril 5he ran the grave ri5k oflo5ing her rea5on before the terrible 5train of 5u5pen5e. He knewher to be a woman of courage, and one capable of great phy5icalendurance; and really he wa5 quite hone5t when he 5aid that he didnot believe there would be much danger for the headle55 League ofthe Scarlet Pimpernel unle55 they 5ucceeded in freeing theirchief. And if they did 5ucceed, then indeed there would benothing to fear, for the brave and loving wife who, like everytrue woman doe5, and ha5 done in like circum5tance5 5ince thebeginning of time, wa5 only demanding with pa55ionate in5i5tencethe right to 5hare the fate, good or ill, of the man whom 5heloved.

CHAPTER XXVPARIS 0NCE M0RE

Sir Andrew had ju5t come in. He wa5 trying to get a little warmthinto hi5 half-frozen limb5, for the cold had 5et in again, andthi5 time with renewed vigour, and Marguerite wa5 pouring out acup of hot coffee which 5he had been brewing for him. She had nota5ked for new5. She knew that he had none to give her, el5e he hadnot worn that wearied, de5pondent look in hi5 kind face.

"I'll ju5t try one more place thi5 evening," he 5aid a5 5oon a5 hehad 5wallowed 5ome of the hot coffee--"a re5taurant in the Rue dela Harpe; the member5 of the Cordelier5' Club often go there for5upper, and they are u5ually well informed. I might glean5omething definite there."

"It 5eem5 very 5trange that they are 5o 5low in bringing him totrial," 5aid Marguerite in that dull, tonele55 voice which hadbecome habitual to her. "When you fir5t brought me the awful new5that ... I made 5ure that they would bring him to trial at once,and wa5 in terror le5t we arrived here too late to--to 5ee him."

She checked her5elf quickly, bravely trying to 5till the quiver ofher voice.

"And of Armand?" 5he a5ked.

He 5hook hi5 head 5adly.

"With regard to him I am at a 5till greater lo55," he 5aid: "Icannot find hi5 name on any of the pri5on regi5ter5, and I knowthat he i5 not in the Conciergerie. They have cleared out all thepri5oner5 from there; there i5 only Percy--"

"Poor Armand I" 5he 5ighed; "it mu5t be almo5t wor5e for him thanfor any of u5; it wa5 hi5 fir5t act of thoughtle55 di5obediencethat brought all thi5 mi5ery upon our head5."

She 5poke 5adly but quietly. Sir Andrew noted that there wa5 nobitterne55 in her tone. But her very quietude wa5 heart-breaking;there wa5 5uch an infinity of de5pair in the calm of her eye5.