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  CHAPTER VI

  The Scarlet Pimpernel.

  It was some few hours later. The ladies sat in the drawing-room, silentand anxious.

  Soon after supper a visitor had called, and had been closeted with PaulDeroulede in the latter's study for the past two hours.

  A tall, somewhat lazy-looking figure, he was sitting at a table face toface with the Citizen-Deputy. On a chair beside him lay a heavy capedcoat, covered with the dust and the splashings of a long journey, but hehimself was attired in clothes that suggested the most fastidious taste,and the most perfect of tailors; he wore with apparent ease theeccentric fashion of the time, the short-waisted coat of many lapels,the double waistcoat and billows of delicate lace. Unlike Deroulede hewas of great height, with fair hair and a somewhat lazy expression inhis good-natured blue eyes, and as he spoke, there was just a soupcon offoreign accent in the pronunciation of the French vowels, a certaindrawl of o's and a's, that would have betrayed the Britisher to anobservant ear.

  The two men had been talking earnestly for some time, the tallEnglishman was watching his friend keenly, whilst an amused, pleasantsmile lingered round the corners of his firm mouth and jaw. Deroulede,restless and enthusiastic, was pacing to and fro.

  "But I don't understand now, how you managed to reach Paris, my dearBlakeney!" said Deroulede at last, placing an anxious hand on hisfriend's shoulder. "The government has not forgotten The ScarletPimpernel."

  "La! I took care of that!" responded Blakeney with his short, pleasantlaugh. "I sent Tinville my autograph this morning."

  "You are mad, Blakeney!"

  "Not altogether, my friend. My faith! 'twas on only foolhardiness causedme to grant that devilish prosecutor another sight of my scarlet device.I knew what you maniacs would be after, so I came across in the_Daydream,_just to see if I couldn't get my share of the fun."

  "Fun, you call it?" queried the other bitterly.

  "Nay! what would you have me call it? A mad, insane, senseless tragedy,with but one issue?--the guillotine for you all."

  "Then why did you come?"

  "To--What shall I say, my friend?" rejoined Sir Percy Blakeney, withthat inimitable drawl of his. "To give your demmed government somethingelse to think about, whilst you are all busy running your heads into anoose."

  "What makes you think we are doing that?"

  "Three things, my friend--may I offer you a pinch of snuff--No?--Ahwell!..." And with the graceful gesture of an accomplished dandy, SirPercy flicked off a grain of dust from his immaculate Mechlin ruffles.

  "Three things," he continued quietly; "an imprisoned Queen, about to betried for her life, the temperament of a Frenchman--some of them--andthe idiocy of mankind generally. These three things make me think that acertain section of hot-headed Republicans with yourself, my dearDeroulede, _en tete,_ are about to attempt the most stupid, senseless,purposeless thing that was ever concocted by the excitable brain of ademmed Frenchman."

  Deroulede smiled.

  "Does it not seem amusing to you, Blakeney, that you should sit thereand condemn anyone for planning mad, insane, senseless things."

  "La! I'll not sit, I'll stand!" rejoined Blakeney with a laugh, as hedrew himself up to his full height, and stretched his long, lazy limbs."And now let me tell you, friend, that my League of The ScarletPimpernel never attempted the impossible, and to try and drag the Queenout of the clutches of these murderous rascals now, is attempting theunattainable."

  "And yet we mean to try."

  "I know it. I guessed it, that is why I came: that is also why I sent apleasant little note to the Committee of Public Safety, signed with thedevice they know so well: The Scarlet Pimpernel."

  "Well?"

  "Well! the result is obvious. Robespierre, Danton, Tinville, Merlin, andthe whole of the demmed murderous crowd, will be busy looking afterme--a needle in a haystack. They'll put the abortive attempt down to me,and you may--_ma foi!_ I only suggest that you _may_ escape safely outof France--in the _Daydream,_ and with the help of your humble servant."

  "But in the meanwhile they'll discover you, and they'll not let youescape a second time."

  "My friend! if a terrier were to lose his temper, he never would run arat to earth. Now your Revolutionary Government has lost its temper withme, ever since I slipped through Chauvelin's fingers; they are blindwith their own fury, whilst I am perfectly happy and cool as a cucumber.My life has become valuable to me, my friend. There is someone over thewater now who weeps when I don't return--No! no! never fear--they'll notget The Scarlet Pimpernel this journey ..."

  He laughed, a gay, pleasant laugh, and his strong, firm face seemed tosoften at thought of the beautiful wife, over in England, who waswaiting anxiously for his safe return.

  "And yet you'll not help us to rescue the Queen?" rejoined Deroulede,with some bitterness.

  "By every means in my power," replied Blakeney, "save the insane. But Iwill help to get you all out of the demmed hole, when you have failed."

  "We'll not fail," asserted the other hotly.

  Sir Percy Blakeney went close up to his friend and placed his long,slender hand, with a touch of almost womanly tenderness upon thelatter's shoulder.

  "Will you tell me your plans?"

  In a moment Deroulede was all fire and enthusiasm.

  "There are not many of us in it," he began, "although half France willbe in sympathy with us. We have plenty of money, of course, and also thenecessary disguise for the royal lady."

  "Yes?"

  "I, in the meanwhile, have asked for and obtained the post of Governorof the Conciergerie; I go into my new quarters to-morrow. In themeanwhile, I am making arrangements for my mother and--and thosedependent upon me to quit France immediately."

  Blakeney had perceived the slight hesitation when Deroulede mentionedthose dependent upon him. He looked scrutinisingly at his friend, whocontinued quickly:

  "I am still very popular among the people. My family can go aboutunmolested. I must get them out of France, however, in case--in case..."

  "Of course," rejoined the other simply.

  "As soon as I am assured that they are safe, my friends and I canprosecute our plans. You see the trial of the Queen has not yet beendecided on, but I know that it is in the air. We hope to get her away,disguised in one of the uniforms of the National Guard. As you know, itwill be my duty to make the final round every evening in the prison, andto see that everything is safe for the night. Two fellows watch allnight, in the room next to that occupied by the Queen. Usually theydrink and play cards all night long. I want an opportunity to drug theirbrandy, and thus to render them more loutish and idiotic than usual;then for a blow on the head that will make them senseless. It should beeasy, for I have a strong fist, and after that ..."

  "Well? After that, friend?" rejoined Sir Percy earnestly, "after that?Shall I fill in the details of the picture?--the guard twenty-fivestrong outside the Conciergerie, how will you pass them?"

  "I as the Governor, followed by one of my guards ..."

  "To go whither?"

  "I have the right to come and go as I please."

  "I' faith! so you have, but 'one of your guards'--eh? Wrapped to theeyes in a long mantle to hide the female figure beneath. I have been inParis but a few hours, and yet already I have realised that there is notone demmed citizen within its walls, who does not at this moment suspectsome other demmed citizen of conniving at the Queen's escape. Even thesparrows on the house-tops are objects of suspicion. No figure wrappedin a mantle will from this day forth leave Paris unchallenged."

  "But you yourself, friend?" suggested Deroulede. "You think you can quitParis unrecognised--then why not the Queen?"

  "Because she is a woman, and has been a queen. She has nerves, poorsoul, and weaknesses of body and of mind now. Alas for her! Alas forFrance! who wreaks such idle vengeance on so poor an enemy? Can you takehold of Marie Antoinette by the shoulders, shove her into the bottom ofa cart and pile sacks of potatoes on the top of her? I did that to theComtess
e de Tournai and her daughter, as stiff-necked a pair of Frencharistocrats as ever deserved the guillotine for their insane prejudices.But can you do it to Marie Antoinette? She'd rebuke you publicly, andbetray herself and you in a flash, sooner than submit to a loss ofdignity."

  "But would you leave her to her fate?"

  "Ah! there's the trouble, friend. Do you think you need appeal to thesense of chivalry of my league? We are still twenty strong, and heartand soul in sympathy with your mad schemes. The poor, poor Queen! Butyou are bound to fail, and then who will help you all, if we too are putout of the way?"

  "We should succeed if you helped us. At one time you used proudly tosay: 'The League of The Scarlet Pimpernel has never failed.'"

  "Because it attempted nothing which it could not accomplish. But, la!since you put me on my mettle--Demm it all! I'll have to think aboutit!"

  And he laughed that funny, somewhat inane laugh of his, which haddeceived the clever men of two countries as to his real personality.

  Deroulede went up to the heavy oak desk which occupied a conspicuousplace in the centre of one of the walls. He unlocked it and drew forth abundle of papers.

  "Will you look through these?" he asked, handing them to Sir PercyBlakeney.

  "What are they?"

  "Different schemes I have drawn up, in case my original plan should notsucceed."

  "Burn them, my friend," said Blakeney laconically. "Have you not yetlearned the lesson of never putting your hand to paper?"

  "I can't burn these. You see, I shall not be able to have longconversations with Marie Antoinette. I must give her my suggestions inwriting, that she may study them and not fail me, through lack ofknowledge of her part."

  "Better that than papers in these times, my friend: these papers, iffound, would send you, untried, to the guillotine."

  "I am careful, and, at present, quite beyond suspicion. Moreover, amongthe papers is a complete collection of passports, suitable for anycharacter the Queen and her attendant may be forced to assume. It hastaken me some months to collect them, so as not to arouse suspicion; Igradually got them together, on one pretence or another: now I am readyfor any eventuality ..."

  He suddenly paused. A look in his friend's face had given him a swiftwarning.

  He turned, and there in the doorway, holding back the heavy portiere,stood Juliette, graceful, smiling, a little pale, this no doubt owing tothe flickering light of the unsnuffed candles.

  So young and girlish did she look in her soft, white muslin frock thatat sight of her the tension in Deroulede's face seemed to relax.Instinctively he had thrown the papers back into the desk, but his lookhad softened, from the fire of obstinate energy to that of inexpressibletenderness.

  Blakeney was quietly watching the young girl as she stood in thedoorway, a little bashful and undecided.

  "Madame Deroulede sent me," she said hesitatingly, "she says the hour isgetting late and she is very anxious. M. Deroulede, would you come andreassure her?"

  "In a moment, mademoiselle," he replied lightly, "my friend and I havejust finished our talk. May I have the honour to present him?--Sir PercyBlakeney, a traveller from England. Blakeney, this is MademoiselleJuliette de Marny, my mother's guest."