“I have my daughter to think of,” said petite maman in a feeble, querulous way, “and I won’t have all my neighbours in this house made unhappy because of me.  They have all been kind neighbours.  Will you promise not to molest them and to clear the house of soldiers if I tell you where Lenegre is?”

“The Republic makes no promises,” replied Rouget gruffly.  “Her citizens must do their duty without hope of a reward.  If they fail in it, they are punished.  But privately I will tell you, woman, that if you save us the troublesome and probably unprofitable task of searching this rabbit-warren through and through, it shall go very leniently with you and with your daughter, and perhaps—­I won’t promise, remember—­perhaps with your husband also.”

“Very good, citizen,” said petite maman calmly.  “I am ready.”

“Ready for what?” he demanded.

“To take you to where my husband is in hiding.”

“Oho!  He is not in the house, then?”

“No.”

“Where is he, then?”

“In the Rue Ste. Anne.  I will take you there.”

Rouget cast a quick, suspicious glance on the old woman, and exchanged one of understanding with the sergeant.

“Very well,” he said after a slight pause.  “But your daughter must come along too.  Sergeant,” he added, “I’ll take three of your men with me; I have half a dozen, but it’s better to be on the safe side.  Post your fellows round the outer door, and on my way to the rue Ste. Anne I will leave word at the gendarmerie that a small reinforcement be sent on to you at once.  These can be here in five minutes; until then you are quite safe.”

Then he added under his breath, so that the women should not hear:  “The Englishman may still be in the house.  In which case, hearing us depart, he may think us all gone and try to give us the slip.  You’ll know what to do?” he queried significantly.

“Of course, citizen,” replied the sergeant.

“Now, then, citizeness—­hurry up.”

Once more there was tramping of heavy feet on stone stairs and corridors.  A squad of soldiers of the Republican Guard, with two women in their midst, and followed by a member of the Committee of Public Safety, a sergeant, corporal and two or three more men, excited much anxious curiosity as they descended the steep flights of steps from the fifth floor.

Pale, frightened faces peeped shyly through the doorways at sound of the noisy tramp from above, but quickly disappeared again at sight of the grimy scarlet facings and tricolour cockades.

The sergeant and three soldiers remained stationed at the foot of the stairs inside the house.  Then citizen Rouget roughly gave the order to proceed.  It seemed strange that it should require close on a dozen men to guard two women and to apprehend one old man, but as the member of the Committee of Public Safety whispered to the sergeant before he finally went out of the house:  “The whole thing may be a trap, and one can’t be too careful.  The Englishman is said to be very powerful; I’ll get the gendarmerie to send you another half-dozen men, and mind you guard the house until my return.”