s the way of the king, n'est-ce pas?"

She looked at him curiously.

"But the Duc d'Orleans should know that the people of France will
never abandon the tricolor,--never!"

"The people of France are fools!"

"True!" he rejoined, hotly, "and I am but one of them!"

"Ah, Monsieur Jean! Now you are uttering the words of wisdom. Recall
the language of Monsieur de Beauchamp,--that it is necessary to make
use of everybody and everything going the way of the king,--tending to
re-establish the throne!"

"The throne! I will have none of it. I'm a republican!"

She smiled. "And as a republican, what is your first duty now?"

"Why, to inform the proper authorities of our discovery."

"Good! Let us go!"

"Allons!" he responded, briskly.

"But how will we get out?"

"How about this door?"

He had brought the rays of the lamp to bear upon a door at the gable
opposite the Maxim gun. It was bolted and heavily barred, but these
fastenings were easily removed.

As anticipated, this door led to a passage and to stairs which, in
turn, led down to the street. They closed the door with as little
noise as possible, carefully locking it and bringing away the key.

A light below showed that the lower part of this house was inhabited,
probably by people innocent of the terrible drama organized above
their heads. But the slightest noise might arouse these people, and in
such a case the Frenchman is apt to shoot first and make inquiries
afterwards. However, once in the street, they could go around to their
own rooms without trouble. It was worth the risk.

The stairs, fortunately, had a strip of carpeting, so they soon found
themselves safely at the street door. To quietly open this was but the
work of a few seconds, when----

They stepped into the arms of Inspector Loup and his agents.

CHAPTER XIX

"Pardieu!" exclaimed Inspector Loup, who never recognized his agents
officially outside of the Prefecture; "it is La Savatiere!"

Mlle. Fouchette trembled a little.

"And Monsieur Marot! Why, this is an unexpected pleasure," continued
the police official.

"Then the pleasure is all on one side," promptly responded Jean, who
was disgusted beyond measure.

Inspector Loup regarded the pair with his fishy eyes half closed. For
once in his life he was nonplussed. Nay, if anything could be said to
be surprising to Inspector Loup, this meeting was unexpected and
surprising. But he was too clever a player to needlessly ex