Produced by Bethanne M. Simms, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net ROBERT TOURNAY A Romance of the French Revolution BY WILLIAM SAGE _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY ERIC PAPE AND MARY AYER_ BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY The Riverside Press, Cambridge 1900 COPYRIGHT, 1900, BY WILLIAM SAGE AND HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TO MY MOTHER TO WHOM I OWE EVERYTHING I LOVINGLY DEDICATE THIS STORY. [Illustration: "A CHEER FOR THE GODDESS OF LIBERTY"] CONTENTS I. HOW TOURNAY CAME TO PARIS II. A LITTLE BREAKFAST AT ST. HILAIRE'S III. THE BAKER AND HIS FAMILY IV. THE "BON PATRIOT" V. A BROKEN DOOR VI. A MAN AND A MARQUIS VII. GAILLARD GOES ON A JOURNEY VIII. PÈRE LOUCHET'S GUESTS IX. PRISON BOAT NUMBER FOUR X. OVER THE FRONTIER XI. UNDER WHICH FLAG? XII. THE FOUR COMMISSIONERS XIII. THE SWORD OF ROCROY XIV. SOMETHING HIDDEN XV. THE PRESIDENT'S NOTE XVI. BENEATH THE MASK XVII. PIERRE AND JEAN XVIII. THE LUXEMBOURG XIX. TAPPEUR AND PETITSOU XX. UNCLE MICHELET XXI. CITIZENESS PRIVAT XXII. CITIZENESS PRIVAT'S CARD XXIII. TOURNAY'S VISITOR XXIV. TWO WOMEN XXV. NO. 7 RUE D'ARCIS XXVI. THE END OF THE TERROR LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS "A CHEER FOR THE GODDESS OF LIBERTY" DE LACHEVILLE FACING A YOUNG WOMAN "STOP!" CRIED TOURNAY ADJUSTED THE NECKCLOTH TO HIS SATISFACTION "WOULD YOU MURDER ME?" A MOMENT THEY STOOD IN SILENCE ROBERT TOURNAY CHAPTER I HOW TOURNAY CAME TO PARIS The Marquis de Lacheville sat in the dining-hall of the château de Rochefort. In his hand he held a letter. Although it was from a woman, the writing was not in those delicately traced characters which suggest the soft hand of some lady of fashion. The note-paper was scented, but the perfume, like the color, was too pronounced; and the spelling, possibly like the lady's character, was not absolutely flawless. A smile played about the cold thin lips of the marquis; he carelessly thrust the missive into his pocket, as one disposes of a bill he does not intend to pay, and lifting his eyes, allowed his gaze to wander through the open window toward the figure of a young girl who stood outside upon the terrace. She was watching a game of tennis in the court below, now and then conversing with the players, whose voices in return reached de Lacheville's ears on the quiet summer air. A few minutes before in that dining-hall the Baron de Rochefort had betrothed his daughter Edmé to his friend and distant kinsman, Maurice de Lacheville. In the eyes of the world it was a suitable match. The marquis was twenty-five, the girl eighteen. She was an only child; and their rank and fortunes were equal.