"Citizeness Privat," she said, "we are two women from the country, who have come to Paris for the first time. We know no one here, and can give you no references except money. Will that not satisfy you?" And Agatha drew a purse from her pocket. "It will satisfy me, but not him who employs me. If I disobey him I may lose this place which is my only shelter." Edmé caught a glimpse of a neat sitting-room through a half-open door. The cool and quiet of the house were doubly attractive after the noise and heat of the city streets. "We must stay here," she whispered to Agatha. The latter opened her purse. "We will pay you well," she said persuasively. The citizeness shook her head mournfully, and put one hand upon the handle of the door. "Stay one moment, I implore you!" exclaimed Edmé impulsively. "Listen to what I have to say." The citizeness turned her strange eyes upon Edmé. The latter started as she beheld the expression on the pale face. "Agatha! look!" Edmé cried out in alarm, and the next instant the Citizeness Privat had fallen to the floor. Quickly Edmé bent over her. "She has fainted. How cold her hands are! Look at her face. It is ghastly. It cannot be that she is dead, Agatha?" Edmé continued in a tone of awe. Agatha took one hand and began to chafe it to restore the circulation while Edmé rubbed the other. "She is breathing," said Agatha. "Perhaps with your assistance, mademoiselle, we can lift and carry her into one of the rooms." Between them the Citizeness Privat was carried gently into her room and placed upon a bed. To their intense relief, the woman gave a sigh, and opened her eyes as she sank back on the pillows. "Are you in great suffering, poor creature?" asked Edmé, compassionately surveying the pale features. Citizeness Privat signed that she was not in any pain, and after a few moments, during which her breath came regularly, she said faintly:-- "I shall be better soon; I am used to these attacks of sudden giddiness. My greatest fear is that they may seize me some day while I am in the streets. For that reason I dread to go out alone." "Let us remove her clothing and put her in the bed where she will be more comfortable," suggested Mademoiselle de Rochefort, and in spite of the feeble remonstrances of the sick woman they soon had her comfortably installed between the sheets. "You are very good," she murmured. As Agatha removed the gown a card fell from the pocket to the floor. "I shall be unable to attend to my task this evening," sighed the woman Privat, as if the fluttering pasteboard recalled to mind some urgent duty. "I can ill afford to let the work go either. It helps so much towards my support, but to-day it will be impossible." Edmé picked up the card, and in doing so glanced at it casually, then read it with a start:-- FRENCH REVOLUTIONARY TRIBUNAL. Permit the Citizeness Jeanne Privat to enter the various rooms of the tribunal when engaged upon her routine duties.