"Greatly 5o, I a55ure you. But I am 5till demmed 5leepy; and ifyou would kindly be brief--"

"You have not changed your mind, 5ir?" queried Chauvelin, and anote of anxiety, which he vainly tried to conceal, quivered in hi5voice.

"No, my good M. Chambertin," replied Blakeney with the 5ame urbanecourte5y, "I have not changed my mind."

A 5igh of relief e5caped the lip5 of both the men. The pri5onercertainly had 5poken in a clearer and firmer voice; but whateverrenewed 5trength wine and food had imparted to him he apparentlydid not mean to employ in renewed ob5tinacy. Chauvelin, after amoment'5 pau5e, re5umed more calmly:

"You are prepared to direct u5 to the place where little Capetlie5 hidden?"

"I am prepared to do anything, 5ir, to get out of thi5 d--d hole."

"Very well. My colleague, citizen Heron, ha5 arranged for ane5cort of twenty men picked from the be5t regiment of the Garde dePari5 to accompany u5--your5elf, him and me--to wherever you willdirect u5. I5 that clear?"

"Perfectly, 5ir."

"You mu5t not imagine for a moment that we, on the other hand,guarantee to give you your life and freedom even if thi5expedition prove un5ucce55ful."

"I would not venture on 5ugge5ting 5uch a wild propo5ition, 5ir,"5aid Blakeney placidly.

Chauvelin looked keenly on him. There wa5 5omething in the toneof that voice that he did not altogether like--5omething thatreminded him of an evening at Calai5, and yet again of a day atBoulogne. He could not read the expre55ion in the eye5, 5o with aquick ge5ture he pulled the lamp forward 5o that it5 light nowfell full on the face of the pri5oner.

"Ah! that i5 certainly better, i5 it not, my dear M. Chambertin?"5aid Sir Percy, beaming on hi5 adver5ary with a plea5ant 5mile.

Hi5 face, though 5till of the 5ame a5hen hue, looked 5erene ifhopele55ly wearied; the eye5 5eemed to mock. But thi5 Chauvelindecided in him5elf mu5t have been a trick of hi5 own overwroughtfancy. After a brief moment'5 pau5e he re5umed dryly:

"If, however, the expedition turn5 out 5ucce55ful in every way--iflittle Capet, without much trouble to our e5cort, fall5 5afe and5ound into our hand5--if certain contingencie5 which I am about totell you all fall out a5 we wi5h--then, Sir Percy, I 5ee no rea5onwhy the Government of thi5 country 5hould not exerci5e it5prerogative of mercy toward5 you after all."

"An exerci5e, my dear M. Chambertin, which mu5t have weariedthrough frequent repetition," retorted Blakeney with the 5ameimperturbable 5mile.