In the early part of September, the Brotherhood of Liberation held a final meeting at which the society was permanently disbanded, its mission having been fulfilled. All, however, renewed the oath never to disclose the secret of the little king's escape and how it was accomplished, unless a time should ever come for him to reign over France. Jean learned that the boy had been removed to Croissy, the country home of the Vicomtesse Beauharnais, till he was strong enough to travel. Since then he had been taken to an obscure village in a remote corner of France, where he would live in seclusion and good care till such time as his presence might be deemed expedient in the political world,--if, indeed, such a time ever came! But there was one other transaction of the society that filled Jean with pride and joy. The Brotherhood as a whole, voted that the remaining funds in their treasury should be devoted to providing a pretty little home for Jean and his family in the near village of Meudon, and a comfortable income for the Citizeness Clouet during the remainder of her life, and Jean himself was to have a sum of one thousand francs to do with as he pleased! This was in recognition of the invaluable services they had all rendered in the escape of Louis XVII. It was to be settled and go into effect at the first of the coming year. Jean went home to his family that night with the good news, a proud and happy boy! Meanwhile he had seen little of his friend Bonaparte since that young man's return to Paris. His own duties kept him rather closely confined to the Tower, and Bonaparte had now more friends in the city who claimed his attention. But besides that, his health was poor, and he spent much time at this period, in gloomy and solitary retirement. One day Jean, who was having a little holiday, thanks to the kindness of Caron, was passing the Corazza Coffee-house near the Palais-Royal when whom should he see sitting at one of the tables but Bonaparte with another young man. Bonaparte at once hailed his friend: "Ho, Jean Mettot! Come and sit you down with us and share our mid-day meal! This is a fortunate meeting, and I want you to know Monsieur Junot. He's a brave fellow whose mettle I tried at Toulon! You two should know each other!" Jean, nothing loath, joined the little party, and listened with interest to their discussion of present political affairs. "I do not know what this country is coming to, Jean!" said Bonaparte. "Public sentiment is like a pendulum! First it swings off to one extreme, as it did in '93, and then started back on the Tenth Thermidor. It came to a happy medium just a short time after that, and now,--behold you!--off it goes in an entirely opposite direction, and the royalists are coming into favour again!" "What's the trouble?" asked Jean. "I'm so busy that I've little time to give to political discussions, and one hears no news in that lonely hole of a Temple, nowadays! I wish you would explain it to me!"