Charlotte turned an appealing glance upon the old warder. "Surely," she exclaimed, with a tone of passionate entreaty in her voice, "surely I have a right to ask that the short hour of life that is left to me shall be undisturbed?" Richard made a weak, deprecating movement with his hands. "I am not to blame," he explained. "The Deputy has a pass, signed by the Police Commissioner." He crossed over behind the prisoner, and was about to untie her hands. Chabot, noticing his intention, stopped him with a peremptory gesture. "Leave that to me," he said. "I will see to it myself." "But--citizen--" the old man began. Chabot pointed sternly toward the door. "Go!" he said. "Go! For time is short, and I have things to say to the prisoner in private." Richard hesitated, as though about to refuse, but his natural weakness was no match for the firm attitude of the Deputy, and, after an uneasy glance at Charlotte Corday, he shambled clumsily to the threshold and went out. Chabot crossed to the door and made sure that it was properly closed. Then he turned quickly and advanced to where Charlotte was still standing. "And now," he said, "now that we are alone, quite alone together, you and I, let us for the moment forget our mutual--shall I say dislike?--our distrust of one another, eh?" He approached and laid his hands upon her wrists, stooping to undo the cords with which the prisoner was bound. At his touch Charlotte, who had been watching his movements with a look of terror on her face, sprang sharply back, as though she had been stung by some poisonous reptile. "Don't come near me!" she exclaimed passionately. "I could not bear you to touch me!" She retreated to the farthest end of the cell and stood at bay there with her back to the wall. "As you will! as you will!" replied the other. "I merely thought that perhaps you would chat more freely if--but no matter." "Will you not sit down?" he added, motioning her to a chair. "I will stand!" she answered coldly. "By all means," said Chabot, in an amused voice, "by all means. But I suppose you have no objection to my sitting?" The girl made no reply. Chabot ensconced himself as comfortably as possible in the hard wooden chair which the warder had vacated. "Let us be sensible," he said, after a pause. "Your little game is over, you know. You have lost." "I have won!" exclaimed Charlotte, with a touch of triumph in her voice.