culty in
persuading General Hermona to this?"

"I hope not, as he voluntarily gave you permission to enter his
territory. I will ask for his safe-conduct in the morning. To-night
you are safe, if you remain here. I request that you will take
possession of the inner apartment, and rely upon my protection."

"Thankyou. I knew my best way was to come here," said Papalier, rising.
"Therese will bring me some refreshment; and then I shall be glad of
rest, for we travelled half last night."

"For how many shall the safe-conduct be?" asked Toussaint, who had also
risen. "For yourself alone, or more?"

"No one knows better than you," said Papalier, hastily, "that I have
only one servant left," pointing again to the couch. "And," lowering
his voice, so that Therese could not hear, "she, poor thing, is
dreadfully altered, you see--has never got over the loss of her child,
that night." Then, raising his voice again, he pursued: "My daughters
at Paris will be glad to see Therese, I know; and she will like Paris,
as everybody does. All my other people are irrecoverable, I fear; but
Therese goes with me."

"No," said Therese, from the conch, "I will go nowhere with you."

"Hey-day! what is that?" said Papalier, turning in the direction of the
voice. "Yes, you will go, my dear. You are tired to-night, as you well
may be. You feel as I do--as if you could not go anywhere, to-morrow or
the next day. But we shall be rested and ready enough, when the time
comes."

"I am ready at this moment to go anywhere else--anywhere away from you,"
replied Therese.

"What do you mean, Therese?" asked her master, sharply.

"I mean what you said just now--that I hate you."

"Oh! silence!" exclaimed Toussaint. He then added in a mild tone to
Therese, "This is my house, in which God is worshipped and Christ
adored, and where therefore no words of hatred may be spoken." He then
addressed himself to Papalier, saying, "You have then fully resolved
that it is less dangerous to commit yourself to the Spaniards than to
attempt to reach Cap?"

"To reach Cap! What! after the decree? Upon my soul, Toussaint, I
never doubted you yet; but if--"

He looked Toussaint full in the face.

"I betray no one," said Toussaint. "What decree do you speak of?"

"That of the Convention of the 4th of February last."

"I have not heard of it."

"Then it is as I hoped--that decree is not considered here as of any
importance. I trusted it would