This was a sudden blow for which he was unprepared. He could not even think what was best to be done. However, saying to himself that he had at any rate a few days before him, he resolutely put the matter aside, to be thought over when he was alone, and proceeded with his work. After a time he came to the list of those marked out for execution on the following day, and saw with a fresh pang the name of Marie de St. Caux.
So the crisis had arrived. That night or never Marie must be rescued, and his plan of forging Robespierre's signature must be put into effect that day. He opened the next few papers mechanically, but steadied himself upon Robespierre asking him a question. For a time he worked on; but his brain was swimming, and he was on the point of saying that he felt strangely unwell, and must ask to be excused his work for that day, when he heard a ring at the bell, and a moment later Lebat entered the room.
'I have just come from the tribunal, citizen,' he said, 'and have seen the list for to-morrow. I have come to you, as I know you are just, and abhor the shedding of innocent blood. There is among the number a young girl, who is wholly innocent. I know her well, for she comes from my province, and her father's chateau was within a few miles of Dijon. Although her father was a furious aristocrat, her heart was always with the people. She was good to the poor, and was beloved by all the tenants on the estate. It is not just that she should die for the sins of her parents. Moreover, henceforth, if pardoned, she will be no longer an aristocrat. I respond for her; for she has promised to marry me, the delegate of Burgundy to the Commune. The young woman is the daughter of the man called the Marquis de St. Caux, who met his deserved fate on the 2d of September.'
'You are willing to respond for her, citizen?' Robespierre said.
'I am. The fact that she will be my wife is surely a guarantee?'
'It is,' Robespierre said. 'What you tell me convinces me that I can without damage to the cause of the people grant your request. I am the more glad to do so since my secretary has also prayed for her life. But though he rendered me the greatest service, and I owe to him a debt of gratitude, I was obliged to refuse; for to grant his request would have been to allow private feeling to interfere with the justice of the people; but now it is different. You tell me that, except by birth, she is no aristocrat; that she has long been a friend of the people, and that she is going to be your wife; on these grounds I can with a good conscience grant her release.'
Lebat had looked with astonishment at Harry as Robespierre spoke.
'Thank you, citizen,' he said to Robespierre. 'It is an act of justice which I relied upon from your well-known character. I promise you that your clemency will not be misplaced, and that she will become a worthy citizen. May I ask,' he said, 'how it is that your secretary, whose face seems familiar to me, is interested in this young woman also?'
'It is simple enough,' Robespierre replied. 'He was in the service of her father.'
'Oh, I remember now,' Lebat said. 'He is English. I wonder, citizen, that you should give your confidence to one of that treacherous nation.'
'He saved my life,' Robespierre replied coldly; 'a somewhat good ground, you will admit, for placing confidence in him.'
'Assuredly,' Lebat said hastily, seeing that Robespierre was offended. 'And now, citizen, there is another matter of importance on which I wish to confer with you.'
Harry rose.
'Citizen, I will ask you to excuse me from further work to-day. My head aches badly, and I can scarce see what I am writing.'
'I thought you were making some confusion of my papers,' Robespierre said kindly. 'By all means put aside your work.'
On leaving the room Harry ran up to the attic above, which he had occupied since he had entered Robespierre's service, rapidly put on the blue blouse and pantaloons which he had formerly worn, pulled his cap well down over his eyes, and hurried down stairs. He stationed himself some distance along the street and waited for Lebat to come out. Rapidly thinking the matter over, he concluded that the man would not present himself with the order of release until after dark, in order that if Marie struggled or tried to make her escape it would be unnoticed in the street. Lebat had calculated, of course, that on the presentation of the order the prison officials would at once lead Marie to the gates whether she wished it or not, and would, at his order, force her into a vehicle, when she would be completely in his power, and he could confine her in his own house or elsewhere until she consented to be his wife.
A quarter of an hour later Lebat came out of the house and walked down the street. Harry followed him. After walking for some distance Lebat came to a stand of hackney-coaches and spoke to one of the drivers. When he had gone on again Harry went up to the man.
'Comrade,' he said, 'do you wish to do a good action and earn a couple of gold pieces at the same time?'
'That will suit me admirably,' the coachman replied.
'Let one of your comrades look after your horse, then, and let us have a glass of wine together in that cabaret.'
As soon as they were seated at a small table with a measure of wine before them Harry said:
'That deputy with the red sash who spoke to you just now has engaged you for a job this evening?'
'He has,' the coachman said. 'I am to be at the left corner of the Place de Carrousel at eight this evening.'
'He is a bad lot,' Harry said; 'he is going to carry off a poor girl to whom he has been promising marriage; but of course we know better than that. She is a friend of mine, and so were her parents, and I want to save her. Now what I want to do is to take your place on the box this evening. I will drive him to the place where he is to meet her, and when he gets her to the door of his lodging I shall jump off and give my citizen such a thrashing as will put a stop to his gallivanting for some time. I will give you ten crowns for the use of your coach for an hour.'
'Agreed!' the coachman said. 'Between ourselves, some of these fellows who pretend to be friends of the people are just as great scoundrels, ay, and worse, than the aristocrats were. We drivers know a good many things that people in general don't; but you must mind, citizen, he carries a sword, you know, and the beating may turn out the other way.'
'Oh, I can get a comrade or two to help,' Harry said laughing. 'There are others besides myself who will not see our pretty Isabel wronged.'
'And where shall I get my coach again?'
'At the end of the Rue St. Augustin. I expect I shall be there by nine o'clock with it; but I am sure not to be many minutes later. Here is a louis now. I will give you the other when I change places with you. Be at the Place de Carrousel at half-past seven. I shall be on the look-out for you.
'I won't fail,' the coachman said; 'you may rely upon that.'
Harry now hurried away to his friend Jacques, and rapidly gave an account of what had taken place.
'In the first place, Jacques, I want your wife to see her friend and to get her to take a note instantly to the warder, for him to give to Mademoiselle de St. Caux. It is to tell her to make no resistance when Lebat presents the order for her release, but to go with him quietly; because if she appeals to the warders and declares that she would rather die than go with him, it is just possible that they might refuse to let him take her away, saying that the order was for her release, but not for her delivery to him. I don't suppose they would do so, because as one of the members of the Committee of Public Safety he is all-powerful; still it would be as well to avoid any risk whatever of our scheme failing. I will drive to the Rue Montagnard, which, as you know, is close to La Force. It is a quiet street, and it is not likely there will be anybody about at half-past eight. Will you be there and give me a hand to secure the fellow?'
'Certainly I will,' Jacques said heartily. 'What do you propose to do with him?'
'I propose to tie his hands and feet and gag him, and then drive to the Rue Bluert, which is close by, and where there are some unfinished houses. We can toss him in there, and he will be safe till morning.
'It will be the safest plan to run him through at once and have done with him,' Jacques said. 'He will be a dangerous enemy if he is left alive; and as he would kill you without mercy if he had a chance, I don't see why you need be overnice with him.'
'The man is a scoundrel, and one of a band of men whom I regard as murderers,' Harry said; 'but I could not kill him in cold blood.'
'You are wrong,' Jacques said earnestly, 'and you are risking everything by letting him live. Such a fellow should be killed like a rat when you get him in a trap.'
