doul, he soon decided upon the course to
be pursued. In most of the prisons there were many persons charged with
no particular offence. It was not at all probable that they would ever
be brought to trial, and, in spite of the surveillance to which they
were subjected, they enjoyed comparative freedom. They were not
absolutely forbidden to hold communication with the world outside, and
if they possessed pecuniary resources it was possible for them to
purchase the good-will of the jailers and to obtain permission to
receive letters, food and even visits from their friends. It may have
been that the number of prisons and of prisoners prevented the
maintenance of very severe discipline; it may have been that the
Committee of Public Safety, having decided to execute all convicted
prisoners, did not desire to exercise a too rigid surveillance. However
this may have been, many of the prisoners were in daily communication
with the outer world. Wives and children obtained permission to visit
their husbands and fathers without much difficulty; and there had been
established, for the convenience of the prisoners, a corps of regularly
appointed messengers who came and went at all hours of the day on
condition that they paid the jailers a certain percentage on their
earnings. Coursegol was ignorant of these details, but Bridoul
acquainted him with them.

"One of these messengers is a friend of mine," added Bridoul, "and for a
fair compensation, he will consent to take you with him as his
assistant. In his company, you can visit the different prisons without
the slightest danger."

This plan delighted Coursegol. That same evening they made the desired
arrangement with the man of whom Bridoul had spoken. The next day, he
began his search, and three days later he ascertained that Dolores was
confined in the Conciergerie and Philip in the Madelonnettes.

CHAPTER XI.

THE CONCIERGERIE.

After their arrest Philip and Dolores were taken to the nearest
station-house and ushered into a room where three persons, arrested like
themselves during the evening, were awaiting examination. Unfortunately
the official charged with conducting these investigations had already
gone home. As he would not return until the next morning, the sergeant
of police decided that the prisoners must pass the night there. Some
mattresses were spread upon the floor for those who chose to use them.
Dolores refused to lie down. She seated herself in a brok