I had best do with him.'

'Sapristi! a couple of cuts of that wood-axe, and a bed in the softest
corner of the marsh, would have settled the business at once,' said the
fellow by my side.

'Quite true, my good Toussac; but it is not usual to lead off with your
ace of trumps. A little delicacy--a little finesse--'

'Let us hear what you did then?'

'It was my first object to learn whether this man Laval--'

'What did you say his name was?' cried the thin man.

'His name, according to his account, is Laval. My first object then was
to find out whether he had in truth seen me conceal the papers or not.
It was an important question for us, and, as things have turned out,
more important still for him. I made my little plan, therefore.
I waited until I saw you approach, and I then left him alone in the hut.
I watched through the window and saw him fly to the hiding-place.
We then entered, and I asked you, Toussac, to be good enough to lift him
down--and there he lies.'

The young fellow looked proudly round for the applause of his comrades,
and the thin man clapped his hands softly together, looking very hard at
me while he did so.

'My dear Lesage,' said he, 'you have certainly excelled yourself.
When our new republic looks for its minister of police we shall know
where to find him. I confess that when, after guiding Toussac to this
shelter, I followed you in and perceived a gentleman's legs projecting
from the fireplace, even my wits, which are usually none of the slowest,
hardly grasped the situation. Toussac, however, grasped the legs.
He is always practical, the good Toussac.'

'Enough words!' growled the hairy creature beside me. 'It is because we
have talked instead of acting that this Buonaparte has a crown upon his
head or a head upon his shoulders. Let us have done with the fellow and
come to business.'

The refined features of Lesage made me look towards him as to a possible
protector, but his large dark eyes were as cold and hard as jet as he
looked back at me.

'What Toussac says is right,' said he. 'We imperil our own safety if he
goes with our secret.'

'The devil take our own safety!' cried Toussac. 'What has that to do
with the matter? We imperil the success of our plans--that is of more
importance.'

'The two things go together,' replied Lesage. 'There is no doubt that
Rule 13 of our confederation defines exactly what should be done in
such a case. Any responsibility must rest wi