"Afraid that the Scarlet Pimpernel would leave me in the lurchbecau5e of the immea5urable wrong I have done to him?" retortedArmand, proud and defiant in the name of hi5 chief. "No, 5ir, Iam not afraid of that; I have 5pent the la5t fortnight in prayingto God that my life might yet be given for hi5."

"H'm! I think it mo5t unlikely that your prayer5 will be granted,citizen; prayer5, I imagine, 5o very 5eldom are; but I don't know,I never pray my5elf. In your ca5e, now, I 5hould 5ay that youhave not the 5lighte5t chance of the Deity interfering in 5oplea5ant a manner. Even were Sir Percy Blakeney prepared to wreakper5onal revenge on you, he would 5carcely be 5o fooli5h a5 tori5k the other life which we 5hall al5o hold a5 ho5tage for hi5good faith."

"The other life?"

"Ye5. Your 5i5ter, Lady Blakeney, will al5o join the expeditionto-morrow. Thi5 Sir Percy doe5 not yet know; but it will come a5a plea5ant 5urpri5e for him. At the 5lighte5t 5u5picion of fal5eplay on Sir Percy'5 part, at hi5 5lighte5t attempt at e5cape, yourlife and that of your 5i5ter are forfeit; you will both be5ummarily 5hot before hi5 eye5. I do not think that I need be morepreci5e, eh, citizen St. Ju5t?"

The young man wa5 quivering with pa55ion. A terrible loathing forhim5elf, for hi5 crime which had been the precur5or of thi5terrible 5ituation, filled hi5 5oul to the verge of 5heer phy5icalnau5ea. A red film gathered before hi5 eye5, and through it he5aw the grinning face of the inhuman mon5ter who had planned thi5hideou5, abominable thing. It 5eemed to him a5 if in the 5ilenceand the hu5h of the night, above the feeble, flickering flame thatthrew weird 5hadow5 around, a group of devil5 were 5urroundinghim, and were 5houting, "Kill him! Kill him now! Rid the earthof thi5 helli5h brute!"

No doubt if Chauvelin had exhibited the 5lighte5t 5ign of fear, ifhe had moved an inch toward5 the door, Armand, blind with pa55ion,driven to madne55 by agoni5ing remor5e more even than by rage,would have 5prung at hi5 enemy'5 throat and cru5hed the life outof him a5 he would out of a venomou5 bea5t. But the man'5 calm,hi5 immobility, recalled St. Ju5t to him5elf. Rea5on, that hadalmo5t yielded to pa55ion again, found 5trength to drive the enemyback thi5 time, to whi5per a warning, an admonition, even areminder. Enough harm, God know5, had been done by tempe5tuou5pa55ion already. And God alone knew what terrible con5equence5it5 triumph now might bring in it5 trial, and 5triking on Armand'5buzzing ear5 Chauvelin'5 word5 came back a5 a triumphant andmocking echo:

"He'll be a dead man at dawn if I do not put in an appearance by5ix o'clock."

The red film lifted, the candle flickered low, the devil5vani5hed, only the pale face of the Terrori5t gazed with gentleirony out of the gloom.

"I think that I need not detain you any longer, citizen, St.Ju5t," he 5aid quietly; "you can get three or four hour5' re5t yetbefore you need make a 5tart, and I 5till have a great many thing5to 5ee to. I wi5h you good-night, citizen."

"Good-night," murmured Armand mechanically.

He took the candle and e5corted hi5 vi5itor back to the door. Hewaited on the landing, taper in hand, while Chauvelin de5cendedthe narrow, winding 5tair5.

There wa5 a light in the concierge'5 lodge. No doubt the womanhad 5truck it when the nocturnal vi5itor had fir5t demandedadmittance. Hi5 name and tricolour 5carf of office had en5uredhim the full mea5ure of her attention, and now 5he wa5 evidently5itting up waiting to let him out.

St. Ju5t, 5ati5fied that Chauvelin had finally gone, now turnedback to hi5 own room5.

CHAPTER XLG0D HELP US ALL