t twinge of remorse disturbed his mind, but he feared
some impulsive action on her part, which indirectly might interfere with
his future plans. Fortunately no one took much heed of the darkly-clad,
insignificant little figure that glided so swiftly by, obviously
determined to escape attention.

In the hall he found Demoiselle Candeille waiting for him. She, too, had
evidently been desirous of leaving Blakeney Manor as soon as possible.
He saw her to her chaise; then escorted her as far as her lodgings,
which were close by: there were still one or two things which he wished
to discuss with her, one or two final instructions which he desired to
give.

One the whole, he was satisfied with his evening's work: the young
actress had well supported him, and had played her part so far with
marvellous sang-froid and skill. Sir Percy, whether willingly or
blindly, had seemed only too ready to walk into the trap which was being
set for him.

This fact alone disturbed Chauvelin not a little, and as half an hour
or so later, having taken final leave of his ally, he sat alone in the
coach, which was conveying him back to town, the sword of Lorenzo Cenci
close to his hand, he pondered very seriously over it.

That the adventurous Scarlet Pimpernel should have guessed all along,
that sooner or later the French Revolutionary Government--whom he had
defrauded of some of its most important victims,--would desire to be
even with him, and to bring him to the scaffold, was not to be wondered
at. But that he should be so blind as to imagine that Chauvelin's
challenge was anything else but a lure to induce him to go to France,
could not possible be supposed. So bold an adventurer, so keen an
intriguer was sure to have scented the trap immediately, and if he
appeared ready to fall into it, it was because there had already sprung
up in his resourceful mind some bold coup or subtle counterplan, with
which he hoped to gratify his own passionate love of sport, whilst once
more bringing his enemies to discomfiture and humiliation.

Undoubtedly Sir Percy Blakeney, as an accomplished gentleman of the
period, could not very well under the circumstances which had been so
carefully stage-managed and arranged by Chauvelin, refuse the latter's
challenge to fight him on the other side of the Channel. Any hesitation
on the part of the leader of that daring Scarlet Pimpernel League would
have covered him with a faint suspicion of pusillanimity, and a su