tances."

"They do when the heart is touched."

"What absurd nonsense you talk! No two men act alike when the heart
is touched in love; why then should they when it is touched in death?
Come along to the hotel, and let us stop this idiotic discussion."

"Ah!" sighed Lemoine, "you will throw your chances away. You are too
careless, Dupre; you do not study enough. This kind of thing is all
well enough in Chili, but it will wreck your chances when you go to
Paris. If you studied more deeply, Dupre, you would take Paris by
storm."

"Thanks," said Dupre lightly; "but unless the rebels take this city
by storm, and that shortly, we may never see Paris again. To tell the
truth, I have no heart for anything but the heroine's knife. I am sick
and tired of the situation here."

As Dupre spoke they met a small squad of soldiers coming briskly
towards the theatre. The man in charge evidently recognized them, for
saying a word to his men, they instantly surrounded the two actors.
The sergeant touched Lemoine on the shoulder, and said:

"It is my duty to arrest you, sir."

"In Heaven's name, why?" asked Lemoine.

The man did not answer; but a soldier stepped to each side of Lemoine.

"Am I under arrest also?" asked Dupre.

"No."

"By what authority do you arrest my friend?" inquired Dupre.

"By the President's order."

"But where is your authority? Where are your papers? Why is this
arrest made?"

The sergeant shook his head and said:

"We have the orders of the President, and that is sufficient for us.
Stand back, please!"

The next instant Dupre found himself alone, with the squad and their
prisoner disappearing down a back street. For a moment he stood there
as if dazed, then he turned and ran as fast as he could back to the
theatre again, hoping to meet a carriage for hire on the way. Arriving
at the theatre he found the lights out and the manager on the point of
leaving.

"Lemoine has been arrested," he cried; "arrested by a squad of
soldiers whom we met, and they said they acted by the order of the
President."

The manager seemed thunderstruck by the intelligence, and gazed
helplessly at Dupre.

"What is the charge?" he said at last.

"That I do not know," answered the actor. "They simply said they were
acting under the President's orders."

"This is bad, as bad as can be," said the manager, looking over
his shoulder, and speaking as if in fear. "Lemoine has been talking
recklessly. I never could ge