he waved a hand in an ironical way. I paced up and down, sick
and distracted, for half an hour or more. I knew not whether he lied
concerning Alixe, but my heart was wrung with misery, for indeed he
spoke with an air of truth.

Dead! dead! dead! "In no fear of your batteries now," he had said. "Done
with the world!" he had said. What else could it mean? Yet the more I
thought, there came a feeling that somehow I had been tricked. "Done
with the world!" Ay, a nunnery--was that it? But then, "In no fear of
your batteries now"--that, what did that mean but death?

At this distressful moment a message came from the General, and I went
to his tent, trying to calm myself, but overcome with apprehension.
I was kept another half hour waiting, and then, coming in to him, he
questioned me closely for a little about Doltaire, and I told him the
whole story briefly. Presently his secretary brought me the commission
for my appointment to special service on the General's own staff.

"Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if
you come back safe, we will talk further."

While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which
still lay upon his table. It ran thus:

Monsieur and Madame Joubert.
Monsieur and Madame Carcanal.
Madame Rousillon.
Madame Champigny.
Monsieur Pipon.
Mademoiselle La Rose.
L'Abbe Durand.
Monsieur Halboir.
La Soeur Angelique.
La Soeur Seraphine.

I know not why it was, but the last three names held my eyes. Each of
the other names I knew, and their owners also. When I looked close,
I saw that where "La Soeur Angelique" now was another name had been
written and then erased. I saw also that the writing was recent. Again,
where "Halboir" was written there had been another name, and the same
process of erasure and substitution had been made. It was not so with
"La Soeur Seraphine." I said to the General at once, "Your excellency,
it is possible you have been tricked." Then I pointed out what I had
discovered. He nodded.

"Will you let me go, sir?" said I. "Will you let me see this exchange?"

"I fear you will be too late," he answered. "It is not a vital matter, I
fancy."

"Perhaps to me most vital," said I, and I explained my fears.

"Then go, go," he said kindly. He quickly gave directions to have
me carried to Admiral Saunders's ship, where the exchange was to be
effected, and at the same time a general passport.

In a few moments we w