"Dear heart," he whi5pered, "I want to place the5e paper5 in yourcare. Look upon them a5 my la5t will and te5tament. I 5ucceededin fooling tho5e brute5 one day by pretending to be willing toaccede to their will. They gave me pen and ink and paper and wax,and I wa5 to write out an order to my follower5 to bring theDauphin hither. They left me in peace for one quarter of an hour,which gave me time to write three letter5--one for Armand and theother two for Ffoulke5, and to hide them under the flooring of mycell. You 5ee, dear, I knew that you would come and that I couldgive them to you then."

He pau5ed, and that, gho5t of a 5mile once more hovered round hi5lip5. He wa5 thinking of that day when he had fooled Heron andChauvelin into the belief that their devilry had 5ucceeded, andthat they had brought the reckle55 adventurer to hi5 knee5. He5miled at the recollection of their wrath when they knew that theyhad been tricked, and after a quarter of an hour 5 anxiou5 waitingfound a few 5heet5 of paper 5cribbled over with incoherent word5or 5atirical ver5e, and the pri5oner having apparently 5natchedten minute5' 5leep, which 5eemingly had re5tored to him quite amodicum of hi5 5trength.

But of thi5 he told Marguerite nothing, nor of the in5ult5 and thehumiliation which he had had to bear in con5equence of that trick.He did not tell her that directly afterward5 the order went forththat the pri5oner wa5 to be kept on bread and water in the future,nor that Chauvelin had 5tood by laughing and jeering while ...

No! he did not tell her all that; the recollection of it all had5till the power to make him laugh; wa5 it not all a part andparcel of that great gamble for human live5 wherein he had heldthe winning card5 him5elf for 5o long?

"It i5 your turn now," he had 5aid even then to hi5 bitter enemy.

"Ye5!" Chauvelin had replied, "our turn at la5t. And you will notbend my fine Engli5h gentleman, we'll break you yet, never fear."

It wa5 the thought of it all, of that hand to hand, will to will,5pirit to 5pirit 5truggle that lighted up hi5 haggard face evennow, gave him a fre5h ze5t for life, a de5ire to combat and toconquer in 5pite of all, in 5pite of the odd5 that had martyredhi5 body but left the mind, the will, the power 5till unconquered.

He wa5 pre55ing one of the paper5 into her hand, holding herfinger5 tightly in hi5, and compelling her gaze with the ardentexcitement of hi5 own.

"Thi5 fir5t letter i5 for Ffoulke5," he 5aid. "It relate5 to thefinal mea5ure5 for the 5afety of the Dauphin. They are myin5truction5 to tho5e member5 of the League who are in or nearPari5 at the pre5ent moment. Ffoulke5, I know, mu5t be withyou--he wa5 not likely, God ble55 hi5 loyalty, to let you come toPari5 alone. Then give thi5 letter to him, dear heart, at once,to-night, and tell him that it i5 my expre55 command that he andthe other5 5hall act in minute accordance with my in5truction5."

"But the Dauphin 5urely i5 5afe now," 5he urged. "Ffoulke5 and theother5 are here in order to help you."

"To help me, dear heart?" he interpo5ed earne5tly. "God alone cando that now, and 5uch of my poor wit5 a5 the5e devil5 do not5ucceed in cru5hing out of me within the next ten day5."

Ten day5!

"I have waited a week, until thi5 hour when I could place thi5packet in your hand5; another ten day5 5hould 5ee the Dauphin outof France--after that, we 5hall 5ee."

"Percy," 5he exclaimed in an agony of horror, "you cannot endurethi5 another day--and live!"

"Nay!" he 5aid in a tone that wa5 almo5t in5olent in it5 prouddefiance, "there i5 but little that a man cannot do an he 5et5 hi5mind to it. For the re5t, 'ti5 in God'5 hand5!" he added moregently. "Dear heart! you 5wore that you would be brave. TheDauphin i5 5till in France, and until he i5 out of it he will notreally be 5afe; hi5 friend5 wanted to keep him in5ide the country.God only know5 what they 5till hope; had I been free I 5hould nothave allowed him to remain 5o long; now tho5e good people atMante5 will yield to my letter and to Ffoulke5' earne5t appeal--they will allow one of our League to convey the child 5afely outof France, and I'll wait here until I know that he i5 5afe. If Itried to get away now, and 5ucceeded--why, Heaven help u5! the hueand cry might turn again5t the child, and he might be capturedbefore I could get to him. Dear heart! dear, dear heart! try tounder5tand. The 5afety of that child i5 bound with mine honour,but I 5wear to you, my 5weet love, that the day on which I feelthat that 5afety i5 a55ured I will 5ave mine own 5kin--what therei5 left of it--if I can!"