y, or to cause you any trouble, madame; will
you ask him not to be very angry with his poor old Charlot?"

Lady Beltham felt like swooning again; she could endure very little of
this old man's garrulity.

"Go, for goodness' sake, go," she said peremptorily.

"I am going," Charlot said; "I know I am in the way; but I must explain
to him," and he raised his voice and spoke to Gurn, who sat quite still,
sinking as far as he could into the shadow of the chair. "You are not
very angry with me, M. Valgrand, are you?" and getting no reply he
looked apologetically at Lady Beltham. "It was all these stories, and
then the street, and the prison opposite: but perhaps you do not know;
you see, I read in the paper yesterday, or rather to-night, a couple of
hours ago, that that man Gurn, who murdered the rich English gentleman,
was to be executed this morning. And so I was rather what you might call
uneasy; at first I only meant to follow M. Valgrand and wait for him
down below, but I lost my way and I have only just arrived; I found the
door open, and as I did not know whether he had gone or was still here,
I took the liberty to come upstairs. But I am going now, quite easy in
my mind, since he is quiet and happy here with you. And I beg your
pardon, madame." He threw a last appeal to where Gurn sat. "I hope you
will forgive me, M. Valgrand?" He sighed as no answer was forthcoming,
and made a pathetic little appeal to Lady Beltham. "You will explain to
him, madame, won't you? He is a kind master, and he will understand. One
does get fancies like that, you know. But now I will go away easy, quite
easy in my mind, since I have seen him."

Charlot turned away slowly, with bent shoulders. As he passed the window
he glanced outside and stopped short. Day was just beginning to break,
making the wan light of the street lamps still more wan. From the window
a view could be obtained of a kind of platform at the corner of the
boulevard Arago which was bounded by the high wall of the Sante prison.
This spot, usually deserted, was crowded with people; a moving mob,
swarming and struggling behind some hastily erected barriers. Charlot
stretched a trembling hand towards the spectacle, in sudden
comprehension.

"Good heavens!" he cried, "that must be where they are putting up the
scaffold. Yes, I can see the planks and uprights; it is the guillotine!
The exe----"

The old man's words ended in a sudden cry, and almost simultaneously
there wa