Alfred; or, The Adventures of a French Gentleman — page 189: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

103 ALFRED; OR ADVENTURES the wildness of nis delight. At length his eye caught sight of the neglected epistle, the contents of which ran as follow :— ‘¢ J understand you have efiected your escape, and that you are in London, despite of my injunctions to persuade you to return straight to this city. Fortunately your disobedience of orders which unseen powers spoke throngh the medzum of my lips, has not as yet prejudiced you in the favour of your superiors and mine. But you must not desert the cause you have embarked in; you must be watchful and vigilant, awaiting the moment when your services will be required. 3 ‘¢ These words may probably arouse your conjectures as to the nature of the service alluded to, and the means whereby you are to discover the arrival of the exact period at which you will be called upon to act. With regard to the former, I am myself unable to draw away the mystic veil that covers gigantic resources and de- signs: with regard to the latter, you must continually reside in Paris, and time itself will teach you how to act, and show what duties you are destined to perform. ‘¢ The authorities of the Chancellerie* were dreadfully enraged at your escape from the galleys, because your sentence had been so indulgently commuted by the merciful disposition, as they ex- pressed themselves, of the reigning monarch. A price has been set upon your capture; every town in France has received, or will shortly receive, the description of your person; and the Gendarmes will consequently be upon the alert. But you are protected by the all-seeing powers that commanded me to provide you with your passport, and to arrauge with our agent, Plombier, for your flight: and most sincerely do I hope that you will eventually justify the expectations of those who deemed you worthy to be rescued from a lingering imprisonment. For, notwithstanding the severity of the measures which the Minister of Justice instituted against you, the moment your escape was reported at the Chancellerte—notwith- standing the reward set upon your capture, your pardon—tuil un- conditional pardon will be signed in a short time. The same hand that controls the signature of the Prefect of Police, can direct the pen of Charles the Tenth. . ‘¢ You have already received sufficient proofs of the capabilities of the hitherto invisible powers whom you must eventually serve—- you ought to be convinced that they are generous towards their adherents—then listen to the counsel of their agent, who speaks for them. Remain in England until you receive your pardon, signed and sealed by the royal hand; the delay may be a week—but it shall not exceed a month: then hasten to Paris, and enquire for me according to ths instructions I gave you and Belle-Rose in the gaol at Verneuil. I await your reply; that I may know whether to enclose your pardon to London or not, as soon as it shall be * The abcde and offices of the Minister of Justice. EONNIC OOOKS