"Henri Cancellor," you are a man, if not in years, yet in intelligence. I think it is now time for you to know more of us; I can trust you, can I not?

With boyish fervour I answered, "To the death! I swear henceforth to be true to the one great cause, and to devote my life to the freedom of the people!"

There were present three or four friends of Lautour, and these came round and shook me cordially by the hand whilst applauding my noble ambition, and Eugene threw his arms round me and whispered as he kissed me, "You and I, Henri, the two boys, we will shew the way to these laggards."

66

He

Lautour called me to him, and leaning back in his chair, his eyes half closed as if indulging in some ideal vision of the future, his long white hair streaming down nearly to his shoulders uttered his thoughts aloud, Yes, mon fils, I foresee for you a noble career. To you will be reserved the task of infusing life and spirit into the inert masses of England. Yours it will be to teach them their strength and the means of of applying it; yours to lead them against the proud aristocracy that has fattened on their life-blood. Yours will be a glorious fate." paused for a moment,-" What a future! What a magnificent realisation of all our hopes! Only persevere, and by freeing your country you will aid to give liberty to mine. Then shall we see that ancient enmity, fostered by the accursed nobles, vanish like morning mist before the lifegiving rays of the glorious sun. No more wars between us; no more strife. Two Republics leagued together in brotherly amity, we will spread over the world our watchwords, Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, and at their very sound tyrants will leave their throne and fly for their lives. My years forbid that I should behold the end, but you, boy, you will see it and my words of this night will then come clearly back to your memory." Then turning to one of his friends, "M. Maurigny, do you not think our young friend ought to be affiliated at once? I myself would propose him and be his surety at once."

"And I," said Maurigny, a young man, thirty or thereabouts, with a countenance grave and solemn beyond his years, "I shall be most happy

to second his nomination."

A third person now joined in. I had previously remarked him as a frequent guest at Lautour; and, though he had ever been most friendly to me, I had somehow conceived for him an intense dislike. He always flattered me, and praised my words and actions, yet all the time the downward glance of his eyes, his slow and seemingly studied speeches, took away all belief in his meaning. He was a tall, swarthy complexioned man, close shaved all but moustache and imperial, and had adopted the style of wearing his hair so common among the Rougesclose cropped. He had the thorough Southern type of countenance, the hook-nose, the high cheek bones, and the black piercing eye. I afterwards found that he was a Provençal; but he had the peculiarity of never looking any one straight in the face, and even when he spoke in the most honeyed accents, there was a lurking smile in the corners of his mouth, and a twitching movement of the eyebrows, that always made. me think that the man was internally laughing at the gullibility of his auditors. Mr. Renaud de la Renaudiere, for that was his name, now put in his objections:

'I doubt not the young gentleman's intelligence," said he, "but

really I am of opinion we should exercise more caution before we admit to our councils so very juvenile a brother. My head sits quite loosely enough on my shoulders as it is, and I care not to have it still more endangered."

Do you mean that you doubt my truth and honesty ?" I exclaimed, starting up in anger. Remember, reader, I was sixteen, and had just been styled-a man.

"By no manner of means, mon petit monsieur; but still,-you have a mother, you have sisters, I presume your age precludes your yet boasting of any other ties, and you know not what female influence will not do to extract a secret from the innermost heart. One moment's tenderness on your mother's lap," and the mocking smile on his lips gave the words their full meaning of a bitter sneer; and we should have to pay our respects to Père Guillotine, or at best have an excellent opportunity of studying the manners of the people as exemplified in the Galleys of Brest or Toulon."

The blood had been gradually rushing to my face as he spoke, and it was with great difficulty that I restrained myself and allowed him to go Before he could finish, I burst out into entreaties to be permitted to join the society.

on.

66

Oh, I beseech you," I cried, "heed not the disparaging remarks of that cold, heartless man, who cannot sympathise with the warm aspirations of a true soul. Mr. de la Renaudiere tells you I am but a boy, and not to be trusted. Which do you think, Mr. Lautour, you would repose most confidence in, the artless, guileless youth whose heart is filled with but one image, that of Liberty, or the man of mature age who in his battle of life has perchance banished from his mind all thought but of self?" and I looked de la Renaudiere full in the face. The hit seemed to have told, and as a smile went round the room, it seemed to me that those assembled were not sorry to see him thus opposed by a boy. For a moment he lost his usually calm countenance. He compressed his lips, and gave me one glance that told me, unskilled as I was in reading the human heart, that he would not forget the implied insult. The cloud was over his features but for a second; in a moment it was gone, and he spoke again in a soft tone of voice with such an apparent air of sincerity, that I thought I must have been mistaken in the import of that one glance.

"My dear sir," said he, "I did say you were but a boy, and you have proved my words. I merely objected to you, as a youth, being admitted to our secret councils, and I think you will admit that at such none ought to be present who cannot restrain their temper better than you. You could have no personal meaning in what you said, and therefore I frankly forgive your ebullition of temper. Nay, I see you have a spirit beyond your years, which, if rightly led, will much advance our good cause, and I therefore retract my objection, and beg to add that I shall, for one, give my voice in your favour. Will you now give me your hand ?"

I took his at once.

"We are friends now ?" said he.

"Of course," was my answer, "we were never anything else," but though his seeming frankness had caused a reaction in his favor in my mind, I still felt some inward dread of the man, and distrust of his rofessions.

CHAP. II.

The next week I managed with some dfficulty to obtain a special holiday, and with a beating heart hastened by myself, for Eugene was detained on account of some trifling infraction of College rules, to the Rue de la Cloche, where on a third flat, resided Mr. Lautour. On my entering his room he asked me whether I still felt in the same mood, whether I had carefully weighed all the probable consequences of the step I was about to take, and whether I could heart and soul devote myself to the cause. My mind was fully made up---Even had I not been imbued with the principles of Republicanism my pride at the chance of being associated with men of repute in France would have prevented my drawing back. I answered that I was ready to go through any test or ordeal which might be required of me. The old gentleman put both his hands on my shoulders and looked me full in the face. He saw the bright smile of hope and pride playing on my lips and pressed me to his breast. "I have no fears for you, my brave boy," said he. "Before this night is passed you will be one of the future liberators of the world. I have proposed your name for election, but my age precludes my attendance at the ceremony. Maurigny will however act for you in my place; you must however just go upstairs and change your dress; you will find one ready for you as your college uniform would be too remarkable." I was not long in slipping on a plain suit of mourning clothes, and about seven in the evening, Maurigny and I set out. Ah me! how well I remember each incident of that evening! Every trifling detail is as fresh in my memory as if the scenes had been enacted but yesterday. The responsibility I was about to undergo, the feeling that the time had come when I was to shake off all boyish ideas and assume the cares of manhood, that undefinable sense of wrong-doing and danger always accompanied by an accelerated pulse and quickened intellect; all, despite the gloominess of the night tended to excite me and keep my faculties stretched to the utmost. It was with a determination carefully to note each event and to impress on my memory the appearance of my future associates that I started on that memorable evening of November 1812. It had rained all day, and now a dense mist had settled over the town, not London fog; no Paris mists are far different; a cold drizzling rain, accompanied by a cutting east wind, chilled us as we made our way along the deserted thoroughfares. But few people were about the streets, and till we reached the Pont Neuf my guide paid no attention to them. I asked where we were going and I then learnt that we were about to visit a quarter I knew but by reputation. There was at the time I am speaking of a cluster of houses round the Cathedral of Notre Dame intersected by narrow dirty and badly lighted streets, the few lamps that shed a doubtful gleam on the muddy way, being slung from the houses on either side; this quarter enjoyed the unpleasant repute of being the den of the Paris evildoers; it was to that City what Duck Lane was to London, a spot oft' visited by the police in search of criminals and supposed to be solely inhabited by them. This was our destination. I know not for what reason it had been selected as the meeting place of a revolutionary committee. Perhaps the mere fact of the constant descent of the police upon the houses to arrest criminals

:

might induce them to suppose that no treason could be hatched in a spot so close under their surveillance. As we were crossing the Pont Neuf a workman brushed rapidly past, and turning round to look at us his face came within the glare of a lamp. Maurigny gave a slight start as he caught sight of his countenance, but went on quietly. At the end of the bridge however he cast a hasty glance on each side, but seeing no one he entered a street leading to the left. As we were passing one of the large gateways so common in Paris I fancied I saw a figure crouching behind one of the stone ports at the entranc eand whispered to my friend to look in that direction; "Take no notice," he answered in the same tone, "We are watched; I know the wretch who passed us on the bridge," and instead of keeping on parallel with the Quays, he took the first turning that offered on his right, then entered another bye-street, then another almost doubling back on our former track. We walked hurriedly, never keeping long in the same direction, till a sudden burst of noisy song met our ears, and presently we came first upon one party then another of young men linked arm in arm occupying the whole breadth of the street and roaring out some of Berangers most popular songs. We were in the Quartier Latin, the favorite residence of the medical students of Paris. One of these parties attempted to stop us; but, at a question from my companion we were allowed to proceed; as the next party came up Maurigny paused for a moment and whispered some words I could not catch to a young man with a huge red beard who merely nodded his head in reply. My guide gave a sigh as of relief and once more leading on said "We are safe now, I think those noisy fellows will stop all pursuit; however let us make certain," and he turned sharp to the left and got under the shadow of a doorway. A short distance from us we could hear the shouts and laughter of the students, but around us was perfect silence unbroken save by the dropping of the rain from the roofs. "Dieu merci," said Maurigny " I think Mr. Courtois, the spy, is off our track for to night; step out Henri, we are late. A succession of turnings brought us once more on the banks of the Seine, then, crossing another bridge, we were on the island on which is built the noble cathedral of Notre Dame. We passed its parvis and plunged into a labyrinth of dark lanes with which my guide seemed well acquainted. The reader would search in vain for them now. It is but a few short months since I passed by the very spot; every one of the alleys I had gone through that night are now swept away; handsome buildings are in the course of erection where formerly poverty and crime nestled together, and spacious well lit thoroughfares are gradually replacing the dingy streets which no Parisian cared to traverse after dark. We stopped at the door of a small Estaminet, on the fan-light of which appeared the usual cross-queues and the inscription" Cafe Billard On joue la poule", and after a careful look through the glass doors Maurigny entered. The first glance shewed me that the seekers of liberty must sometimes tread in queer paths. The room was about half full of workmen interspersed here and there with men whose faces would never be taken as guarantees of their honesty. The windows were closed and the fumes of coffee and mulled wine mixing with the sickly odour of tobacco which pervaded the whole place made me at first feel inclined to rush out into the open air. Everything about was dirty and smoke begrimed even including that necessary appendage of a French Cafè the dame du comptoir, who in

At

this instance was an untidy woman of some forty or fifty, her hair in curl papers and a ragged brown shawl thrown over her shoulders. the further end of the room was a billiard table at which some workmen were playing pool, and as we approached I could see that some signs passed between them and my conductor. One thing struck me as odd. Though dressed in the common blue shirt of the artizan these men's hands were white and clean, and showed no trace of toil, and on looking at Maurigny, now that he had taken off his cloak I perceived that he too had adopted the same disguise. All these observations scarce took a minute to make, for Maurigny went straight to the knot of billiard players and shaking one of them by the hand said in a loud voice,

Eh bien, Armand, I have come according to promise. My play has been accepted, and I have a few franes to spare for a bottle or so of Macon; Hola Garcon!"

"Don't you think," said the man addressed as Armand, a fine tall young fellow with slightly effeminate features, a small but well trimmed moustache and long wavy hair, who won my heart at once by the air of rollicking gaiety which sat naturally on him, " don't you think we might as well have it upstairs and then we could have a song or two to celebrate your success?" and he began to hum the students chorus,

Messieurs les Etudiants
Qui vont a la Chaumière
Pour y danser le Cancan
Et la Robert Macaire
L'amour, l'amour,
La nuit comme le jour;
Et ioup, ioup, ioup,

tra la la la &c.

The landlord now came up, as stupid a looking lout as ever I beheld except in one respect. His whole countenance was dullness personified, but deep sunk in his fat face were a pair of watchful eyes which seemed to take in at once all going on around him. I afterwards found that though naturally sharp enough he kept up the character of a semi-idiot the better to deceive the police, who never dream't that such a mass of stupidity could be mixed up in a conspiracy without revealing the secret. This worthy, addressing Maurigny as Mr. Michaud, said there was a vacant room upstairs at our service; we accordingly followed him up, and wine being brought some of the party sat down and began singing while Maurigny opened a small cupboard in a corner. At the back of it hung a paper bag on a brass nail apparently driven lightly into the wall: on being pushed first to one side and then upwards a narrow opening was revealed, and into this Maurigny crept followed closely by me and then by Armand. After crawling along to our right Maurigny stopped and I could hear him touch some hidden spring which opened to us a door similar in size to the one we had passed through. We were now, so Armand said, in the house next to the Estaminet, and I was here to be blindfolded. A thick nightcap was pulled down over my eyes, and a handkerchief firmly tied over that prevented my seeing anything. Maurigny took my hand and after some fumbling along the wall (he opened no door) whispered "Take care; there are steps. The staircase was circular and narrow, I brushed the wall on either side with my shoulders. At length we reached the bottom, and the cold