s already."

"Citizen president," began Danville, "I demand to know if anything has
transpired affecting my honor and patriotism in my absence?"

He spoke apparently with the most perfect calmness, but he looked nobody
in the face. His eyes were fixed steadily on the green baize of the
table beneath him.

"The female prisoner has made a statement, referring principally to
herself and her brother," answered the president, "but incidentally
mentioning a previous attempt on your mother's part to break existing
laws by emigrating from France. This portion of the confession contains
in it some elements of suspicion which seriously affect you--"

"They shall be suspicions no longer--at my own peril I will change them
to certainties!" exclaimed Danville, extending his arm theatrically, and
looking up for the first time. "Citizen president, I avow it with the
fearless frankness of a good patriot; I was privy to my mother's first
attempt at escaping from France."

Hisses and cries of execration followed this confession. He winced under
them at first; but recovered his self-possession before silence was
restored.

"Citizens, you have heard the confession of my fault," he resumed,
turning with desperate assurance toward the audience; "now hear the
atonement I have made for it at the altar of my country."

He waited at the end of that sentence, until the secretary to the
tribunal had done writing it down in the report book of the court.

"Transcribe faithfully to the letter!" cried Danville, pointing solemnly
to the open page of the volume. "Life and death hang on my words."

The secretary took a fresh dip of ink, and nodded to show that he was
ready. Danville went on:

"In these times of glory and trial for France," he proceeded, pitching
his voice to a tone of deep emotion, "what are all good citizens most
sacredly bound to do? To immolate their dearest private affections and
interests before their public duties! On the first attempt of my mother
to violate the laws against emigration, by escaping from France, I
failed in making the heroic sacrifice which inexorable patriotism
demanded of me. My situation was more terrible than the situation
of Brutus sitting in judgment on his own sons. I had not the Roman
fortitude to rise equal to it. I erred, citizens--erred as Coriolanus
did, when his august mother pleaded with him for the safety of Rome! For
that error I deserved to be purged out of the republican community;
but