“‘Well,’ said the man, doggedly; ‘may be so; but we are not so bad as those who tempted us. I detested the wretch Vadier, and I hope he will die of his wound; I wanted to quit service and to marry Dedan, and the five hundred francs tempted me.’” “Do you think, Monsieur Plessis,” asked Mabel, “that they will be caught by Monsieur Gramont?” “I rather think,” said Jean Plessis, “that he would prefer their escaping. I do not imagine he will look for them. What surprises me is, that he ventured to drive out of his employ a man who knew so much.” “I suspect,” observed Julia, “that he acquired his knowledge of what he told you, father, from practising the same espionage upon his employers that he was paid or promised to be paid for spying upon us.” “Very likely,” returned the intendant; “however, his intelligence was of immense importance to me. It completely gave me the upper hand of Monsieur Gramont.” “How do you intend to proceed?” said Madame Coulancourt. “I feel so very anxious about Julian.” “He has done wisely in crossing to the other side of the river,” said Jean Plessis. “He did not go further than the village of ——, two leagues from here. We must, however, lose no more time, but act with all expedition. We have a shrewd enemy, and I believe if I had not known about this Augustine Vadier, he would have done much more than he will attempt now. To-morrow I will send down your luggage and travelling carriage to be embarked on board the chasse-mare; it will be a complete blind. It is nearly eighteen leagues to Rouen, and it will create no surprise your going there by water. Most travellers from Havre prefer it, for the sake of the scenery; and at present, owing to the recent disturbances, the roads are really dangerous. The day after to-morrow, therefore, madame, can you be ready?” “As to that, we could be ready to-morrow evening,” said Mabel, “but with respect to Julian, how are we to manage?” “There will be no difficulty. When off the coast we will take him on board. I shall send one of the crew of the boat to the village to stay and watch for us, and let Monsieur Julian know; the man will seek him, of course, under the name of Lebeau.” “God grant,” said Madame Coulancourt, “that no untoward event may occur to mar your apparently well-laid plans!” In the meantime Monsieur Gramont rode rapidly towards his own mansion, bitterly cursing the sagacity and foresight of Jean Plessis. He guessed at once how he had contrived to procure the protection of Barras and Fouché, both men playing into each other’s hands. “He must,” muttered Bertram Gramont, “have sacrificed an immense sum to Barras, whose boundless extravagance is Universally known.”