rence was at her post, he rang the bell; his orderly came to him, and
received orders to admit Monsieur Corentin.

"My friend, you are a very clever fellow," said Talleyrand, "and I wish
to employ you."

"Monsiegneur--"

"Listen. In serving Fouche you will get money, but never honor nor any
position you can acknowledge. But in serving me, as you have lately done
at Berlin, you can win credit and repute."

"Monseigneur is very good."

"You displayed genius in that late affair at Gondreville."

"To what does Monseigneur allude?" said Corentin, with a manner that was
neither too reserved nor too surprised.

"Ah, Monsieur!" observed the minister, dryly, "you will never make a
successful man; you fear--"

"What, monseigneur?"

"Death!" replied Talleyrand, in his fine, deep voice. "Adieu, my good
friend."

"That is the man," said the Marquis de Chargeboeuf entering the room
after Corentin was dismissed; "but we have nearly killed the countess."

"He is the only man I know capable of playing such a trick," replied the
minister. "Monsieur le marquis, you are in danger of not succeeding
in your mission. Start ostensibly for Strasburg; I'll send you double
passports in blank to be filled out. Provide yourself with substitutes;
change your route and above all your carriage; let your substitutes
go on to Strasburg, and do you reach Prussia through Switzerland and
Bavaria. Not a word--prudence! The police are against you; and you do
not know what the police are--"

Mademoiselle de Cinq-Cygne offered the then celebrated Robert Lefebvre a
sufficient sum to induce him to go to Troyes and take Michu's portrait.
Monsieur de Grandville promised to afford the painter every possible
facility. Monsieur de Chargeboeuf then started in the old _berlingot_,
with Laurence and a servant who spoke German. Not far from Nancy they
overtook Mademoiselle Goujet and Gothard, who had preceded them in an
excellent carriage, which the marquis took, giving them in exchange the
_berlingot_.

Talleyrand was right. At Strasburg the commissary-general of police
refused to countersign the passport of the travellers, and gave them
positive orders to return. By that time the marquis and Laurence were
leaving France by way of Besancon with the diplomatic passport.

Laurence crossed Switzerland in the first days of October, without
paying the slightest attention to that glorious land. She lay back in
the carriage in the torpor which overtakes a cri