occupied a place in the Queen's household.
The Marker shook his head at that
proposal, and declined to risk the gallows by
taking a young Huguenot, whose life he had
saved, to the head-quarters of the Papist
conspiracy.

The next suggestion offered by Jacques,
was that they should go to the Arsenal,
where his aunt, Madame de Brisembourg,
lived. The Marker was ready to undertake
this expedition, though it was rather a long
and dangerous one, provided they passed
through no principal streets. Before they
started, he took occasion to remind Jacques
of his poverty, and inquired if Madame de
Brisembourg was a likely woman to give as
much as thirty crowns for the safe delivery
of her nephew, at the gates of the Arsenal.
Jacques promised, in his aunt's name, that
the sum should be forthcoming, and they
started immediately.

They got to the Arsenal without
misadventures of any sort. Arrived at the gate,
Jacques said to his companion:—

"Wait here; and I will send you out your
nephew's clothes, and the thirty crowns for
taking care of me."

While he was speaking, the gate was
opened by some one coming out; and Jacques
dexterously slipped in, before it was closed
again. He wandered about the place, looking
for the building in which his aunt lived,
and meeting no persons but strangers, whom
he was afraid to inquire of. At last, who
should he see but the Page in his late father's
service — the lad who had been saved by the
Swiss guards!

The Page (who had taken refuge with
Madame de Brisembourg on the night of the
murder), did not recognise his young master
at first, in the ragged clothing of the Marker's
nephew. Jacques made himself known, and
was taken instantly to his aunt.

Madame de Brisembourg having heard
that her brother-in-law, and both his children,
had been killed, was in bed, overwhelmed by
the shock of that dreadful intelligence. Her
joy and astonishment can hardly be imagined,
when she found her youngest nephew standing
alive and well by her bedside. She
immediately ordered proper clothing for him,
and arranged that his bed should be made in
her own dressing-room. Jacques did not forget
his friend the Marker, in the happiness of
finding an asylum. He begged thirty crowns
from his aunt, and sent them out, with the
ragged clothes, to his preserver, who was waiting
at the gate.

Jacques enjoyed two days of rest and
security in his aunt's dressing-room. At the
end of that time, Marshal de Biron (Head of
the Artillery Department), was told that the
King had discovered that certain Huguenots
had taken refuge at the Arsenal, and that
His Majesty was determined to have them
sought for without delay. This bad news the
Marshal communicated to Madame de
Brisembourg, who immediately felt that her
nephew was no longer in safety under her own
roof.

The next morning, accordingly, she caused
him to be dressed as a Page in the service of
Marshal de Biron, and placed him, with
many tears, under the protection of the
Sieur de Born, a lieutenant-general of artillery,
in whose good sense and humanity she
could put perfect trust.

The Sieur de Born took Jacques out of the
Arsenal and brought him to a house in the
neighbourhood belonging to a person
connected with the Artillery Department,
named Guillon. "Be so good," said the Sieur
de Born, "as to give this lad house-room for
a few days. He is the son of an old friend of
mine, and he is about to enter the service of
the Marshal de Biron, in the capacity of
Page." Guillon accepted the charge readily.
He was a sharp man, and he strongly
suspected that the story about the Marshal de
Biron's page was a mere invention. However,
fortunately for Jacques, he was under obligations
to the Sieur de Born; so he kept his
suspicions to himself, and received the young
stranger very kindly.

Jacques remained unmolested in the house
of Guillon for a week. His host was
accustomed to go out every morning to his duties,
and to return to dinner — on which occasion,
the lad generally ran to open the door for
him. On the eighth day the usual knock
came at the usual time, and Jacques opened
the door; but, seeing a stranger standing on
the threshold, immediately clapped it to
again in his face. Upon this, the man
called through the door, "Don't be afraid,
my boy. I am a messenger of your aunt's,
and I am sent to know how you are."
Jacques called back, that his health was
excellent, and that he was very much obliged
to his aunt; but he took good care not to
open the door again. The deadly peril
through which he had passed, had taught
him to be as cautious as any grown man in
Paris.

When the master of the house came back,
a little later, Jacques told him what had
happened. Guillon, with a look of alarm,
started up from his dinner, and ran to the
Arsenal to make inquiries at the apartments
of Madame de Brisembourg. The information
he received there, justified the worst
suspicions. Madame de Brisembourg had
sent no messenger to inquire after her
nephew's health. The stranger was evidently
a Papist spy.

There was no resource now for Jacques,
but to resign all hopes of finding an asylum
in Paris, and to risk the danger of trying to
escape into the country. If he had not
possessed powerful friends at the Arsenal, he
would never have been able to make the
attempt. As it was, his aunt's influence with
the Marshal de Biron, was powerful enough
to give him another chance for his life. The