"I will try and deserve your confidence, Jeanne; but I am not a magician. But I will talk it over with"--and he hesitated--"with a young fellow who is, like myself, a Royalist, and in disguise. Luckily, we ran against each other the other day, and after a little conversation discovered each other. He, too, has relatives in prison, and will, I am sure, join me in any scheme I may undertake. Two heads are better than one, and four are much better than two when it comes to acting. And now I must say good-night. I hope when I see you again I shall be able to tell you that I have formed some sort of plan for their release." CHAPTER VII The 2d of September Victor de Gisons was, as usual, waiting near the door when Harry left Louise Moulin's. "What is the news, Henri? Nothing suspicious, I hope? You are out sooner than usual." "Yes, for I have something to think of. Here have we been planning in vain for the last fortnight to hit upon some scheme for getting our friends out of prison, and Jeanne has pointed out a way which you and I never thought of." "What is that, Henri?" "The simplest thing in the world, namely, that we should seize one of the leaders of these villains and compel him to sign an order for their release." "That certainly seems possible," Victor said. "I wonder it never occurred to either of us. But how is it to be done?" "Ah, that is for us to think out! Jeanne has given us the idea, and we should be stupid if we cannot invent the details. In the first place we have got to settle which of them it had better be, and in the next how it is to be managed. It must be some one whose signature the people at the prison would be sure to obey." "Then," Victor said, "it must be either Danton or Robespierre." "Or Marat," Harry added; "I think he is as powerful as either of the others." "He is the worst of them, anyhow," Victor said. "There is something straightforward about Danton. No doubt he is ambitious, but I think his hatred of us all is real. He is a terrible enemy, and will certainly stick at nothing. He is ruthless and pitiless, but I do not think he is double-faced. Robespierre is ambitious too, but I think he is really acting according to his principles, such as they are. He would be pitiless too, but he would murder on principle. "He would sign unmoved the order for a hundred heads to fall if he thought their falling necessary or even useful for the course of the Revolution, but I do not think he would shed a drop of blood to satisfy private enmity. They call him the 'incorruptible.' He is more dangerous than Danton, for he has no vices. He lives simply, and they say is fond of birds and pets. I do not think we should make much of either Danton or him, even if we got them in our power.