Commodore, and Citizen Spark shall come
with us."

"You have my word," Sir Sidney said,
laughing. " Sparkes shall make no attempt
at escape."

"You might have asked me for my word,"
grumbled Mr. Sparkes. " That would have
been quite sufficient. A nice republican you
must be to think that the word of a gentleman's
servant is not as good as that of a
gentleman. Is that your fraternity, or equality,
or whatever you call it?"

"Liberty, equality, and fraternity," replied
Citizen Lasne, with vinous gravity, " are very
pretty to look at on the two-sous pieces; but
the heart of man is deceitful. However," he
added, " may I pass for a ci-devant, Citizen
Spark, if I think that you would play me
false. Citizen, come along. Citizen Secretary
(to Captain Wright) I recommend
myself to your distinguished consideration till
we return. Au Boulevard!"

He led the Commodore away, and Sparkes
followed close at their heels, as a well-bred
gentleman's servant should do. A few
minutes afterwards the three were outside
the great gate of the Temple. The
Commodore had taken care to wrap himself in a
cloak, and to slouch his hat over his head.
As long as the sun remained on the horizon
the party wandered about the Dædalus of
narrow little streets which then surrounded,
and even now to a certain extent surround
the Temple. As it grew dark, the Commodore
proposed that they should take the
promised walk on the Boulevard.

Now Citizen Lasne, in regard to liquor,
was somewhat of a spongy nature and
temperament. He could suck up an astonishing
quantity of moisture, but such moisture was
very easily expressed by a few minutes' exercise,
and then the citizen was dry, porous, on
the alert and ready for more. When Citizen
Lasne left the Temple with his prisoners he
was considerably more than seven-eighths
drunk. He had not been long in the fresh
air before the fixed idea began to dominate
over his mind with redoubled force. He
began to repent of his somewhat too chivalrous
confidence in the parole of his captives.
He began to repent heartily of his imprudence.
He began, finally, like Falstaff, to
perceive that he had been an ass; and, worse
than all, that he had effected that undesirable
metamorphosis himself.

As they walked he scrutinised narrowly
the countenances of the passers by to see if
any marks of recognition passed between
them and his companion. And almost
incessantly he glanced over his shoulder to assure
himself of the whereabout of Citizen Spark.
That trusty servant was contented with treading
most faithfully upon his gaoler's heels,
and with saying, when he caught his eye,

"All right, citizen—all right."

If the fumes of the wine had been
completely, instead of very nearly, evaporated
from the cerebellum of Citizen Lasne, he
would have remarked a little circumstance
which might have led him to entertain very
grave suspicions concerning the safety of his
prisoners. Ever since the party had quitted
the Temple, they had been followed, step by
step, by a female figure closely shawled and
veiled; and Sir Sidney could distinctly hear,
though the gaoler from a trifling singing and
buzzing in his ears, could not, the sound of
steps behind them, regularly keeping time
with their own.

The night was dark, and Lasne, determined
to keep his word at all hazards, proceeded
towards the Boulevard. At the moment when
the three were turning the angle of the Rue
Charlot a hand was laid on the arm of Citizen
Sparkes, and a timid voice whispered—

"Monsieur le Comte."

Sparkes turned his head round, without
slackening his pace.

"I saw you start," whispered the veiled
female, for she was the owner of the hand and
voice. " I have informed my sisters. Rochecotte
and De Phélippaux are in readiness.
One word and the Commodore shall be rescued
from the hands of that wretch."

"But the Commodore will not say that
word," answered Citizen Sparkes, in very pure
and elegant French.

"And in heaven's name, why?"

"He has given his word, as a gentleman,
not to attempt to escape to-night."

"And you—" the veiled figure
continued.

"Oh, as for me—the Commodore was
security for me—but—"

The night grew darker, and darker, and the
three strange companions, with the phantom
in the veil, were lost in the tumultuous sea of
life upon the great Boulevards.

There was no Boulevard des Italiens then;
no Rue de la Paix, no Madeleine, no Asphalte
pavements, no brilliant passages, no gas-lamps.
But the Boulevards were still the Boulevards,
unequalled and unrivalled; the crowds of
promenaders and loungers were still the same,
though attired in costumes far different from
those they wear now. They passed some
dozen of theatres, they passed Monsieur
Curtius's wax-work exhibition; they passed
numberless groups of tight-rope dancers, jugglers,
mountebanks, learned dogs and quack
doctors. All at once, just as they had arrived at
the spot where the Passage Vendome has
since been constructed, Citizen Lasne uttered
an exclamation of horror and surprise.

"By heavens! " he cried, " Spark has
disappeared!"

It was but too true, the body servant
of Sir Sidney Smith was no where to be
seen.

In his terror and agitation the unlucky
gaoler quite forgot his republican character.
He was within a hair's breadth of making the
sign of the cross; but remembering that religion
had been done away with according to