"No," said Mme. de Chaulnes cooly, "naturally you could never recover him that way. But, of course, there is another method." "You mean . . . exchange?" "Precisely." There was a pregnant silence. The goldfish suddenly ceased swimming, and gaped at the Frenchman through its prison walls. "But you are not his father, one sees," resumed the old lady, and took up her embroidery again. "So why consider it? He will forget England and his surroundings--in time. I do not suppose he will be unkindly used; someone will probably adopt him and bring him up to a useful trade." "Some foster-father like Simon, no doubt," commented the émigré bitterly. In his mind was the little prisoner of the Temple, so soon, had La Vireville known it, to be free of his captivity for ever. The thought of that martyred innocence pierced him as nothing else could have done, and he went straight to the point. "How could I possible have any guarantee that, if I gave myself up, the bargain would be respected, and the boy sent back unharmed?" For the second time the old lady looked at him long and steadily. Then she opened a drawer in the table and took out a paper which she laid before him. "That has been arranged for," said she. "Here is the child's passport out of France all ready. You have only to convey it to him." "Parbleu!" exclaimed the émigré, "this has all been very prettily planned! I can scarcely flatter myself that it was entirely for my benefit, since it was by mere chance that I came upon this errand." Again Mme. de Chaulnes smiled that wintry smile. "Do not seek to probe too deeply, Monsieur. Yet, since you spoke of playing with the cards on the table, the Convention would, perhaps, rather see your band of Chouans leaderless, Monsieur Augustin, than possess themselves of the person of M. de Flavigny, who, after all, has no such forces at his disposal. 'Tout étant fait pour une fin, tout est nécessairement pour la meilleure fin.' You know your _Candide_, no doubt. . . . But to return to business. Does this safe-conduct convince you?" "Only tolerably," answered La Vireville, as he examined it. "It would convey to me much more conviction if there were ever any chance of its reaching the child. You know as well as I, Madame, that I should be apprehended as an émigré the moment I set foot at Calais or Boulogne. No doubt that would suit the Convention just as well--better, in fact--but you can scarce expect it to make much appeal to me. I shall never have a second head; I do not propose to make those gentlemen a present of it for nothing. I also must have some kind of a safe-conduct, to protect me till my business is done." "Really, Monsieur Augustin, you are very exacting," observed Mme. de Chaulnes. "Yet there is sense in what you say." "I dare say that you, in your providence, have already such a safe-conduct made out for me?" hazarded he.