out to the end. Time is precious. You shall offer what
criticism you will when I have finished, but not before."

"Go on, then. I listen."

"I am not only proposing that one member of the Scarlet Pimpernel League
shall accompany us to-morrow," continued Chauvelin, "but I would also
force the prisoner's wife--Marguerite Blakeney--to follow in our train."

"A woman? Bah! What for?"

"I will tell you the reason of this presently. In her case I should not
let the prisoner know beforehand that she too will form a part of our
expedition. Let this come as a pleasing surprise for him. She could join
us on our way out of Paris."

"How will you get hold of her?"

"Easily enough. I know where to find her. I traced her myself a few days
ago to a house in the Rue de Charonne, and she is not likely to have
gone away from Paris while her husband was at the Conciergerie. But this
is a digression, let me proceed more consecutively. The letter, as
I have said, being written to-night by the prisoner to one of his
followers, I will myself see that it is delivered into the right hands.
You, citizen Heron, will in the meanwhile make all arrangements for
the journey. We ought to start at dawn, and we ought to be prepared,
especially during the first fifty leagues of the way, against organised
attack in case the Englishman leads us into an ambush."

"Yes. He might even do that, curse him!" muttered Heron.

"He might, but it is unlikely. Still it is best to be prepared. Take
a strong escort, citizen, say twenty or thirty men, picked and trained
soldiers who would make short work of civilians, however well-armed they
might be. There are twenty members--including the chief--in that Scarlet
Pimpernel League, and I do not quite see how from this cell the prisoner
could organise an ambuscade against us at a given time. Anyhow, that is
a matter for you to decide. I have still to place before you a scheme
which is a measure of safety for ourselves and our men against ambush as
well as against trickery, and which I feel sure you will pronounce quite
adequate."

"Let me hear it, then!"

"The prisoner will have to travel by coach, of course. You can travel
with him, if you like, and put him in irons, and thus avert all chances
of his escaping on the road. But"--and here Chauvelin made a long pause,
which had the effect of holding his colleague's attention still more
closely--"remember that we shall have his wife and one of his friends
with us