nt at once. Perhaps you will
wait here until I return."

Another hour dragged its slow length along, and they were well into
the second hour before the rattle of the wheels was heard in the
silent street. The minister came in, and the two anxious men saw by
his face that he had failed in his mission.

"I am sorry to say," said his Excellency, "that I have been unable
even to get the execution postponed. I did not understand, when I
undertook the mission, that M. Lemoine was a citizen of Chili.
You see, that fact puts the matter entirely out of my hands. I am
powerless. I could only advise the President not to carry out his
intentions; but he is to-night in a most unreasonable and excited
mood, and I fear nothing can be done to save your friend. If he had
been a citizen of France, of course this execution would not have
been permitted to take place; but as it is, it is not our affair. M.
Lemoine seems to have been talking with some indiscretion. He does not
deny it himself, nor does he deny his citizenship. If he had taken a
conciliatory attitude at the court-martial the result might not have
been so disastrous; but it seems that he insulted the President to his
face, and predicted that he would within two weeks meet him in Hades.
The utmost I could do was to get the President to sign a permit for
you to see your friend, if you present it at the prison before the
execution takes place. I fear you have no time to lose. Here is the
paper."

Dupre took the document, and thanked his Excellency for his exertions
on their behalf. He realized that Lemoine had sealed his own fate by
his independence and lack of tact.

The two dejected men drove from the Legation and through the deserted
streets to the prison. They were shown through several stone-paved
rooms to a stone-paved court-yard, and there they waited for some time
until the prisoner was brought in between two soldiers. Lemoine had
thrown off his coat, and appeared in his shirt-sleeves. He was not
manacled or bound in any way, there being too many prisoners for each
one to be allowed the luxury of fetters.

"Ah," cried Lemoine, when he saw them, "I knew you would come if that
old scoundrel of a President would allow you in, of which I had my
doubts. How did you manage it?"

"The French minister got us a permit," said Dupre.

"Oh, you went to him, did you? Of course he could do nothing, for, as
I told you, I have the misfortune to be a citizen of this country. How