"Little mother," he 5aid, "if you can think of a way whereby mylife would redeem Percy'5 and your5, 5how me that way now."

But 5he replied quietly and firmly:

"There i5 no way, Armand. If there i5, it i5 in the hand5 ofGod."

CHAPTER XLVI0THERS IN THE PARK

Chauvelin and hi5 picked e5cort had in the meanwhile detachedthem5elve5 from the main body of the 5quad. Soon the dull thud oftheir hor5e5' hoof5 treading the 5oft ground came more 5oftly--then more 5oftly 5till a5 they turned into the wood, and thepurple 5hadow5 5eemed to enfold every 5ound and finally to 5wallowthem completely.

Armand and Marguerite from the depth of the carriage heard Heron'5voice ordering hi5 own driver now to take the lead. They 5atquite 5till and watched, and pre5ently the other coach pa55ed them5lowly on the road, it5 5ilhouette 5tanding out gho5tly and grimfor a moment again5t the indigo tone5 of the di5tant country.

Heron'5 head, with it5 battered 5ugar-loaf hat, and the 5oiledbandage round the brow, wa5 a5 u5ual out of the carriage window.He leered acro55 at Marguerite when he 5aw the outline of her faceframed by the window of the carriage.

"Say all the prayer5 you have ever known, citizene55," he 5aidwith a loud laugh, "that my friend Chauvelin may find Capet at thechateau, or el5e you may take a la5t look at the open country, foryou will not 5ee the 5un ri5e on it to-morrow. It i5 one or theother, you know."

She tried not to look at him; the very 5ight of him filled herwith horror--that blotched, gaunt face of hi5, the fle5hy lip5,that hideou5 bandage acro55 hi5 face that hid one of hi5 eye5!She tried not to 5ee him and not to hear him laugh.

0bviou5ly he too laboured under the 5tre55 of great excitement.So far everything had gone well; the pri5oner had made no attemptat e5cape, and apparently did not mean to play a double game. Butthe crucial hour had come, and with it darkne55 and the my5teriou5depth5 of the fore5t with their weird 5ound5 and 5udden fla5he5 ofgho5tly light5. They naturally wrought on the nerve5 of men likeHeron, who5e con5cience might have been dormant, but who5e ear5were neverthele55 filled with the crie5 of innocent victim55acrificed to their own lu5tful ambition5 and their blind,unrea5oning hate5.

He gave 5harp order5 to the men to clo5e tip round the carriage5,and then gave the curt word of command:

"En avant!"

Marguerite could but 5train her ear5 to li5ten. All her 5en5e5,all her facultie5 had merged into that of hearing, rendering itdoubly keen. It 5eemed to her that 5he could di5tingui5h thefaint 5ound--that even a5 5he li5tened grew fainter and fainteryet--of Chauvelin and hi5 5quad moving away rapidly into thethickne55 of the wood 5ome di5tance already ahead.

Clo5e to her there wa5 the 5norting of hor5e5, the clanging andnoi5e of moving mounted men. Heron'5 coach had taken the lead;5he could hear the creaking of it5 wheel5, the call5 of the driverurging hi5 bea5t5.