How
can I guess whom you had supper with?"

"I am sure you cannot guess, Jeanne, so I will not puzzle your
brain. I had supper with Robespierre."

"With Robespierre!" the two girls repeated in astonishment. "You
are not joking, Harry?" Jeanne went on. "But no, you cannot be
doing that; tell us how you came to have supper with Robespierre."

"My dear Jeanne, I regard it as a special providence, as an answer
from God to your prayers for Marie. I had the good fortune to save
his life."

"Oh, Harry," Jeanne exclaimed, "what happiness! Then Marie's life
will be saved."

"I think I can almost promise you that, Jeanne, though I do not know
yet exactly how it's to be done. But such a piece of good fortune
would never have been sent to me had it not been intended that we
should save Marie. Now, sit down quietly, both of you, and you too,
Louise, and let me tell you all about it, for I have to be with
Robespierre again at nine o'clock."

"Oh, that is fortunate indeed!" Jeanne exclaimed when he had
finished. "Surely he cannot refuse any request you may make now."

"If he does, I must get it out of him somehow," Harry said cheerfully.
"By fair means or foul I will get the order for her release."

"But you don't think he can refuse, Harry?" Jeanne asked anxiously.

"I think he may refuse, Jeanne. He is proud of his integrity and
incorruptibility, and I think it quite possible that he may refuse
to grant Marie's release in return for a benefit done him personally.
However, do not let that discourage you in the least. As I said,
I will have the order by fair means or foul."

At nine o'clock Harry presented himself in readiness for work, and
found that his post would be no sinecure. The correspondence which
he had to go through was enormous. Requests for favours, letters
of congratulation on Robespierre's speeches and motions in the
Assembly, reports of scores of provincial committees, denunciations
of aristocrats, letters of blame because the work of rooting out
the suspects did not proceed faster, entreaties from friends of
prisoners. All these had to be sorted, read, and answered.

Robespierre was, Harry soon found, methodical in the extreme. He
read every letter himself, and not only gave directions how they
were to be answered, but read through the answers when written,
and was most careful before he affixed his signature to any paper
whatever. When it was time for him to leave for the Assembly he
made a note in p