"Levity in everything! even your remorse!" said the young man.
She colored and looked at the marquis with so genuine a contrition
that he was softened. The abbe politely returned to her, with an
equivocal manner, the sum he had received; then he followed the young
leader who took the by-way through which he had come. Before following
them the lady made a sign to Marche-a-Terre, who came to her.
"Advance towards Mortagne," she said to him in a low voice. "I know
that the Blues are constantly sending large sums of money in coin to
Alencon to pay for their supplies of war. If I allow you and your
comrades to keep what you captured to-day it is only on condition that
you repay it later. But be careful that the Gars knows nothing of the
object of the expedition; he would certainly oppose it; in case of
ill-luck, I will pacify him."
"Madame," said the marquis, after she had rejoined him and had mounted
his horse /en croupe/, giving her own to the abbe, "my friends in
Paris write me to be very careful of what we do; the Republic, they
say, is preparing to fight us with spies and treachery."
"It wouldn't be a bad plan," she replied; "they have clever ideas,
those fellows. I could take part in that sort of war and find foes."
"I don't doubt it!" cried the marquis. "Pichegru advises me to be
cautious and watchful in my friendships and relations of every kind.
Pages:
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83