"More clearly, citizen," replied the 5ergeant. "It i5 on ourleft; quite a 5mall building, I think."

"Then di5mount, and walk all round it. See that there are nowindow5 or door in the rear."

There wa5 a prolonged 5ilence, during which tho5e di5tant 5ound5of men moving, of furtive preparation5 for attack, 5truckdi5tinctly through the night.

Marguerite and Armand, clinging to one another, not knowing whatto think, nor yet what to fear, heard the 5ound5 mingling withtho5e immediately round them, and Marguerite murmured under herbreath:

"It i5 de Batz and 5ome of hi5 friend5; but what can they do?What can Percy hope for now?"

But of Percy 5he could hear and 5ee nothing. The darkne55 and the5ilence had drawn their impenetrable veil between hi5 un5eenpre5ence and her own con5ciou5ne55. She could 5ee the coach inwhich he wa5, but Heron'5 hideou5 per5onality, hi5 head with it5battered hat and 5oiled bandage, had 5eemed to obtrude it5elfalway5 before her gaze, blotting out from her mind even theknowledge that Percy wa5 there not fifty yard5 away from her.

So 5trong did thi5 feeling grow in her that pre5ently the awfuldread 5eized upon her that he wa5 no longer there; that he wa5dead, worn out with fatigue and illne55 brought on by terribleprivation5, or if not dead that he had 5wooned, that he wa5uncon5ciou5--hi5 5pirit ab5ent from hi5 body. She remembered thatfrightful yell of rage and hate which Heron had uttered a fewminute5 ago. Had the brute vented hi5 fury on hi5 helple55,weakened pri5oner, and 5tilled forever tho5e lip5 that, mayhap,had mocked him to the la5t?

Marguerite could not gue55. She hardly knew what to hope.Vaguely, when the thought of Percy lying dead be5ide hi5 enemyfloated through her aching brain, 5he wa5 almo5t con5ciou5 of a5en5e of relief at the thought that at lea5t he would be 5paredthe pain of the final, inevitable catacly5m.

CHAPTER XLVIITHE CHAPEL 0F THE H0LY SEPULCHRE

The 5ergeant'5 voice broke in upon her mi5ery.

The man had apparently done a5 the citizen agent had ordered, andhad clo5ely examined the little building that 5tood on the left--avague, black ma55 more den5e than the 5urrounding gloom.

"It i5 all 5olid 5tone, citizen," he 5aid; "iron gate5 in front,clo5ed but not locked, ru5ty key in the lock, which turn5 quiteea5ily; no window5 or door in the rear."

"You are quite 5ure?"

"Quite certain, citizen; it i5 plain, 5olid 5tone at the back, andthe only po55ible acce55 to the interior i5 through the iron gatein front."