rs stationed
outside.

"En avant, corporal!" he said; "bring four men with you... we go up to
the tower."

The small procession was formed. On ahead the lanthorn-bearer, with
arched spine and shaking knees, dragging shuffling footsteps along the
corridor, then the corporal with two of his soldiers, then Heron closely
followed by de Batz, and finally two more soldiers bringing up the rear.

Heron had given the bunch of keys to the man Dupont. The latter, on
ahead, holding the lanthorn aloft, opened one gate after another. At
each gate he waited for the little procession to file through, then he
re-locked the gate and passed on.

Up two or three flights of winding stairs set in the solid stone, and
the final heavy door was reached.

De Batz was meditating. Heron's precautions for the safe-guarding of the
most precious life in Europe were more complete than he had anticipated.
What lavish liberality would be required! what superhuman ingenuity and
boundless courage in order to break down all the barriers that had been
set up round that young life that flickered inside this grim tower!

Of these three requisites the corpulent, complacent intriguer possessed
only the first in a considerable degree. He could be exceedingly liberal
with the foreign money which he had at his disposal. As for courage and
ingenuity, he believed that he possessed both, but these qualities had
not served him in very good stead in the attempts which he had made at
different times to rescue the unfortunate members of the Royal Family
from prison. His overwhelming egotism would not admit for a moment that
in ingenuity and pluck the Scarlet Pimpernel and his English followers
could outdo him, but he did wish to make quite sure that they would
not interfere with him in the highly remunerative work of saving the
Dauphin.

Heron's impatient call roused him from these meditations. The little
party had come to a halt outside a massive iron-studded door.

At a sign from the chief agent the soldiers stood at attention. He then
called de Batz and the lanthorn-bearer to him.

He took a key from his breeches pocket, and with his own hand unlocked
the massive door. He curtly ordered the lanthorn-bearer and de Batz to
go through, then he himself went in, and finally once more re-locked the
door behind him, the soldiers remaining on guard on the landing outside.

Now the three men were standing in a square antechamber, dank and dark,
devoid of furniture