Adventure, August 3, 1919 — page 56: what you’re looking at

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

46 Adventure if you can devise some other means of sending the papers to me, I will obey your behests. Tam ists oaa game Your faithful and devoted servant, Lucite’ CLAMETTE. The pen dropped from the unfortunate girl’s fingers. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed convulsively. The chil- dren were silent, awed and subdued—tired out, too, Only Etienne’s dark eyes were fixed upon his sister with a look of mute reproach. Lebel had made no attempt to interrupt the flow of his colleague’s dictation. Only once or twice did a hastily smothered “What the !”’ of astonishment escape his lips. Now, when the letter was finished and duly signed, he drew it to him and strewed the sand over it. Chauvelin, more impassive than ever, was once more gazing out of the window. . “How are the ei-devant aristos to get this Jetter?’”’ the commissary asked. “Tt must be put in the hollow tree which stands by the side of the stable gate at Montorgueil,” whispered Lucile. “And the aristos will find it there?” “Ves. M. le Vicomte goes there once or twice a week to see if there is anything there from one of-us.” “They are in hiding somewhere close by, then?” But to this the girl gave-no reply. In- deed, she felt as if any word now might choke her. “Well, no matter where they are,’ the inhuman wretch resumed with brutal cyn- icism, “‘we’ve got them now—both of them. Marquis? Wicomte?” he added and spat on the ground to express his contempt of such titles. ‘Citizen Montorgueil, father and son—that’s all they are! And as such they'll walk up in state to make their bow to Mme. la Guillotine!” “May We go now?” stammered Lucile through her tears. Lebel nodded in assent, and the girl rose and turned to walk toward the door. She called to the children, and the little ones clustered round her skirts like _ chicks around the mother hen. Only Etienne remained aloof, wrathful against his’ sister for what he deemed her treachery. “Women have no sense of honor!’’ he muttered to himself with all the pride of conscious manhood. But Lucile felt more than ever like a bird who is vainly trying to evade the clutches of a fowler, She gathered the two little ones around her, Then, with a cry like a wounded doe, she ran quickly out of the room, ee - AS SOON as the sound of the chil- aie dren’s footsteps had died away down the corridor, Lebel turned with a grunt to his still silent companion. “And now, Citizen Chauvelin,” he said roughly, “perhaps you will be good enough to explain what is the meaning of all this. tomfoolery.”’ ‘*Tomfoolery, citizen?” queried the other blandly, “What tomfoolery, pray?” “Why, about those papers!” growled Lebel savagely. “Curge you for an inter- fering busybody!~ It was I who got infor- mation that those pestilential aristos, the Montorgueils, far from having fled the country, are in hiding somewhere in my district. I could have made the girl give up their hiding-place pretty soon without any help from you. What right had you to interfere, I should like to know?” “You know quite well what right I had, Citizen Lebel,” replied Chauvelin with perfect composure. “The rjght conferred upon me by the Committee of Public Safety, of whom I am still an unworthy member. They sent me down here to lend you a hand in an investigation which is of * grave importance to them.” “T know that!” retorted Lebel sulkily. “But why have you invented the story of the papers?” “It is no invention, citizen,” rejoined Chauvelin with slow emphasis. “The papers do exist. They are in the possession of the ci-devant Montorgueils, father and son. To capture the two aristos would be not only a blunder but also criminal folly, unless we can lay hands on the papers at the same time.” “But what in Satan’s name are those pees ejaculated Lebel with a fierce oath, . “Think, Citizen Lebel! Think!” was Chauvelin’s Cool rejoinder. “Methinks you might arrive at a pretty shrewd guess.” Then, as the other’s bluster and bounce suddenly collapsed under his colleague’s calm, accusing gaze, the lattercontinued with impressive deliberation: “The papers which the two aristos have comicbooks.com — <-. 9 at -—— er.