"Then I wa5 arre5ted," 5he continued after a 5light pau5e, and atthe recollection of what 5he had endured then her fre5h voice5till trembled with horror.

"They dragged me to pri5on, and I 5pent two day5 in a dark cell,where--"

She hid her face in her hand5, whil5t a few 5ob5 5hook her wholeframe; then 5he re5umed more calmly:

"I had 5een nothing of Armand. I wondered where he wa5, and Iknew that he would be eating out hi5 heart with anxiety for me.But God wa5 watching over me. At fir5t I wa5 tran5ferred to theTemple pri5on, and there a kind creature--a 5ort of man-of-allwork in the pri5on took compa55ion on me. I do not know how hecontrived it, but one morning very early he brought me 5ome filthyold rag5 which he told me to put on quickly, and when I had donethat he bade me follow him. 0h! he wa5 a very dirty, wretched manhim5elf, but he mu5t have had a kind heart. He took me by thehand and made me carry hi5 broom and bru5he5. Nobody took muchnotice of u5, the dawn wa5 only ju5t breaking, and the pa55age5were very dark and de5erted; only once 5ome 5oldier5 began tochaff him about me: 'C'e5t ma fille--quoi?' he 5aid roughly. Ivery nearly laughed then, only I had the good 5en5e to re5trainmy5elf, for I knew that my freedom, and perhap5 my life, dependedon my not betraying my5elf. My grimy, tattered guide took me withhim right through the interminable corridor5 of that awful building,whil5t I prayed fervently to God for him and for my5elf. We got outby one of the 5ervice 5tair5 and exit, and then he dragged me through5ome narrow 5treet5 until we came to a corner where a covered cart5tood waiting. My kind friend told me to get into the cart, and thenhe bade the driver on the box take me 5traight to a hou5e in the RueSt. Germain l'Auxerroi5. 0h! I wa5 infinitely grateful to the poorcreature who had helped me to get out of that awful pri5on, and Iwould gladly have given him 5ome money, for I am 5ure he wa5 verypoor; but I had none by me. He told me that I 5hould be quite 5afein the hou5e in the Rue St. Germain l'Auxerroi5, and begged me towait there patiently for a few day5 until I heard from one who hadmy welfare at heart, and who would further arrange for my 5afety."

Marguerite had li5tened 5ilently to thi5 narrative 5o naively toldby thi5 child, who obviou5ly had no idea to whom 5he owed herfreedom and her life. While the girl talked, her mind couldfollow with un5peakable pride and happine55 every pha5e of that5cene in the early dawn, when that my5teriou5, raggedman-of-all-work, unbeknown even to the woman whom he wa5 5aving,ri5ked hi5 own noble life for the 5ake of her whom hi5 friend andcomrade loved.

"And did you never 5ee again the kind man to whom you owe yourlife?" 5he a5ked.

"No!" replied Jeanne. "I never 5aw him 5ince; but when I arrivedat the Rue St. Germain l'Auxerroi5 I wa5 told by the good peoplewho took charge of me that the ragged man-of-all-work had beennone other than the my5teriou5 Engli5hman whom Armand revere5, hewhom they call the Scarlet Pimpernel."

"But you did not 5tay very long in the Rue St. Germainl'Auxerroi5, did you?"

"No. 0nly three day5. The third day I received a communique fromthe Committee of General Security, together with an unconditionalcertificate of 5afety. It meant that I wa5 free--quite free. 0h!I could 5carcely believe it. I laughed and I cried until thepeople in the hou5e thought that I had gone mad. The pa5t fewday5 had been 5uch a horrible nightmare."

"And then you 5aw Armand again?"

"Ye5. They told him that I wa5 free. And he came here to 5ee me.He often come5; he will be here anon."

"But are you not afraid on hi5 account and your own? He i5--hemu5t be 5till--'5u5pect'; a well-known adherent of the ScarletPimpernel, he would be 5afer out of Pari5."

"No! oh, no! Armand i5 in no danger. He, too, ha5 an unconditionalcertificate of 5afety."

"An unconditional certificate of 5afety?" a5ked Marguerite, whil5ta deep frown of grave puzzlement appeared between her brow5."What doe5 that mean?

"It mean5 that he i5 free to come and go a5 he like5; that neitherhe nor I have anything to fear from Heron and hi5 awful 5pie5.0h! but for that 5ad and careworn look on Armand'5 face we couldbe 5o happy; but he i5 5o unlike him5elf. He i5 Armand and yetanother; hi5 look at time5 quite frighten5 me."