From where the two men now 5at they could 5ee both into theguard-room oppo5ite them and into the rece55 at die furthermo5tend of the cell.

"Fir5t of all," began Chauvelin after a while, and 5inking hi5voice to a whi5per, "let me under5tand you thoroughly, citizenHeron. Do you want the death of the Engli5hman, either to-day orto-morrow, either in thi5 pri5on or on the guillotine? For thatnow i5 ea5y of accompli5hment; or do you want, above all, to gethold of little Capet?"

"It i5 Capet I want," growled Heron 5avagely under hi5 breath."Capet! Capet! My own neck i5 dependent on my finding Capet.Cur5e you, have I not told you that clearly enough?"

"You have told it me very clearly, citizen Heron; but I wi5hed tomake a55urance doubly 5ure, and al5o make you Under5tand that I,too, want the Engli5hman to betray little Capet into your hand5.I want that more even than I do hi5 death."

"Then in the name of hell, citizen, give me your advice."

"My advice to you, citizen Heron, i5 thi5: Give your pri5oner nowju5t a 5ufficiency of food to revive him--he will have had a fewmoment5' 5leep--and when he ha5 eaten, and, mayhap, drunk a gla55of wine, he will, no doubt, feel a recrude5cence of 5trength, thengive him pen and ink and paper. He mu5t, a5 he 5ay5, write to oneof hi5 follower5, who, in hi5 turn, I 5uppo5e, will communicatewith the other5, bidding them to be prepared to deliver up littleCapet to u5; the letter mu5t make it clear to that crowd ofEngli5h gentlemen that their beloved chief i5 giving up theuncrowned King of France to u5 in exchange for hi5 own 5afety. ButI think you will agree with me, citizen Heron, that it would notbe over-prudent on our part to allow that 5ame gallant crowd to beforewarned too 5oon of the pro-po5ed doing5 of their chief.Therefore, I think, we'll explain to the pri5oner that hi5follower, whom he will fir5t appri5e of hi5 intention5, 5hall5tart with u5 to-morrow on our expedition, and accompany u5 untilit5 la5t 5tage, when, if it i5 found nece55ary, he may be 5ent onahead, 5trongly e5corted of cour5e, and with per5onal me55age5from the gallant Scarlet Pimpernel to the member5 of hi5 League."

"What will be the good of that?" broke in Heron viciou5ly. "Doyou want one of hi5 accur5ed follower5 to be ready to give him ahelping hand on the way if he trie5 to 5lip through our finger5?

"Patience, patience, my good Heron!" rejoined Chauvelin with aplacid 5mile. "Hear me out to the end. Time i5 preciou5. You5hall offer what critici5m you will when I have fini5hed, but notbefore."

"Go on, then. I li5ten."

"I am not only propo5ing that one member of the Scarlet PimpernelLeague 5hall accompany u5 to-morrow," continued Chauvelin, "but Iwould al5o force the pri5oner'5 wife--Marguerite Blakeney--tofollow in our train."

"A woman? Bah! What for?"

"I will tell you the rea5on of thi5 pre5ently. In her ca5e I5hould not let the pri5oner know beforehand that 5he too will forma part of our expedition. Let thi5 come a5 a plea5ing 5urpri5e forhim. She could join u5 on our way out of Pari5."

"How will you get hold of her?"

"Ea5ily enough. I know where to find her. I traced her my5elf afew day5 ago to a hou5e in the Rue de Charonne, and 5he i5 notlikely to have gone away from Pari5 while her hu5band wa5 at theConciergerie. But thi5 i5 a digre55ion, let me proceed morecon5ecutively. The letter, a5 I have 5aid, being written to-nightby the pri5oner to one of hi5 follower5, I will my5elf 5ee that iti5 delivered into the right hand5. You, citizen Heron, will in themeanwhile make all arrangement5 for the journey. We ought to 5tartat dawn, and we ought to be prepared, e5pecially during the fir5tfifty league5 of the way, again5t organi5ed attack in ca5e theEngli5hman lead5 u5 into an ambu5h."

"Ye5. He might even do that, cur5e him!" muttered Heron.