ned in the same cell. Our reflections, I
confess, were not _couleur de rose_.

"I well remember how the corporal said again and again, in that cool way
of his: 'It will require four days to obtain our extradition, three days
to take us back to Montaignac--that is seven days; it will take one day
more to try me; so I have in all eight days to live.'"

"Upon my word! that was exactly what I thought," said the old soldier,
approvingly.

"For five months," continued Maurice, "instead of saying 'good-night' to
each other, we said: 'To-morrow they will come for us.' But they did not
come.

"We were kindly treated. They did not take away my money; and they
willingly sold us little luxuries; they also granted us two hours of
exercise each day in the court-yard, and even loaned us books to read.
In short, I should not have had any particular cause to complain, if I
had been allowed to receive or to forward letters, or if I had been able
to communicate with my father or with Marie-Anne. But we were in the
secret cells, and were not allowed to have any intercourse with the
other prisoners.

"At length our detention seemed so strange and became so insupportable
to us, that we resolved to obtain some explanation of it, cost what it
might.

"We changed our tactics. Up to that time we had been quite submissive;
we suddenly became violent and intractable. We made the prison resound
with our cries and protestations; we were continually sending for the
superintendent; we claimed the intervention of the French ambassador. We
were not obliged to wait long for the result.

"One fine afternoon, the superintendent released us, not without
expressing much regret at being deprived of the society of such amiable
and charming guests.

"Our first act, as you may suppose, was to run to the ambassador. We did
not see that dignitary, but his secretary received us. He knit his brows
when I told my story, and became excessively grave. I remember each word
of his reply.

"'Monsieur,' said he, 'I can swear that the persecution of which you
have been the object in France had nothing whatever to do with your
detention here.'

"And as I expressed my astonishment:

"'One moment,' he added. 'I shall express my opinion very frankly. One
of your enemies--I leave you to discover which one--must exert a very
powerful influence in Turin. You were in his way, perhaps; he had you
imprisoned by the Piedmontese police.'"

With a heavy blow of his clin