Needless to say that we acted upon his suggestion, and the very next morning Laurent succeeded in clambering over the wall--though it is a high one--at exactly five minutes before eight o'clock, and managed to slip a message for Leroux into the hiding-place behind the stone." "It all sounds like a fairy tale!" broke in d'Ache enthusiastically. "Of course," here interposed M. de Courson, taking up the interrupted narrative, "after that, matters became comparatively simple. Leroux was more than ready to do all that we asked of him, and he kept us posted up with everything that went on inside the factory. Thus we enjoined him, for the sake of his own future and for the success of our undertaking, to drop his rebellious attitude--to become industrious, willing, a pattern amongst the workmen. We told him to gain the confidence of the War Office representatives by every means in his power and so to ingratiate himself with them that he might obtain the post of chief overseer of the powder factory, which would confer upon him privileges that he then could utilize for our service." "Well, and did he succeed?" "Indeed, he did," assented Madame la Marquise. "We have offered him a bribe of ten thousand francs if he served us in the way we required: the first step towards this service was to be his good conduct--the second his appointment as overseer." "And what happened?" "Paul Leroux is now overseer of the powder factory at La Frontenay. He was appointed by old Gaston de Maurel, who has been completely taken in by the man's change of front. Leroux is quoted throughout the district as a marvellous example of how a man can rise from his dead self, through patriotism and discipline, to a new life of industry and consideration. The epic of Leroux," added Madame with a laugh, "forms the comedy side of the palpitating drama which we have been enacting at La Frontenay these past twelve months." "Splendid! Marvellous!" acclaimed the men in chorus, and d'Ache, less well informed than the others of what had been going on, added eagerly: "So much for the present; now what about the future?" III "The future," resumed M. de Courson quietly after a while, "is, in fact, rosier than any of us had ever dared to hope." "Leroux will prove useful, you think?" queried Prigent. "Leroux, my dear friends," broke in Madame triumphantly, "is prepared to hand over the entire factory to us, lock, stock and barrel. He has both the power and the means to do it. With the factory in our hands, the foundries and armament works will fall to us automatically." "But how?" exclaimed d'Ache impassionedly, "in Heaven's name how? Believe me, the whole thing still seems to me like a fairy-tale." "I am sure it does," she retorted gaily, "and yet it is all real ... so real ... Laurent!" she continued suddenly, turning to the young man, "I pray you go and see if Leroux hath come." Laurent obeyed readily and de Puisaye said approvingly: "Ah! you have the man here; that is good!"