Belle Rose: A Romance of the Cloak and Sword — page 271: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE SIEGE OF THE CONVENT. 255 Grippard to Bouletord, with a mission to get himself re- ceived in the police. It was an honest means of pene- trating the secrets of the quartermaster, and to be fore- warned in case there was any plot to carry off Madame d’Albergotti to some other convent. As to himself, he resolved to enter the house of the Benedictine nuns as a gardener. He was at this point in his projects when Belle- Rose, Cornelius, and Claudine arrived. Déroute had taken care, on leaving, to give Cornelius an address where he could find him; it was an inn in the Rue des Bourgeois- St. Michel, at the sign of the Roi David. Déroute went there every evening under divers costumes, and passed an hour or two there in seeing the frequenters of the place play cards and dice. The evening on which Cornelius en- tered the hostelry of the Roi David, he had some difficulty in recognizing the sergeant, who had on a black wig and a magnificent beard. Belle-Rose was waiting in the street. ‘*l know where she is,’’ Déroute said to him, as soon as he perceived him; and he related what he had done. Belle-Rose embraced him. ‘““‘There are three of us,’’ said he; ‘‘neither bars, walls, nor doors, nor locks can stop us.”’ It was first necessary to make arrangements for taking a lodging where importunate visits were not to be dreaded. Belle-Rose at once named Monsieur Mériset. ‘‘I have been there too often for them to think of look- ing for me there,”’ said he. And they all took the way to the Rue du Pot-de-Fer St. Sulpice. On seeing Belle-Rose, Monsieur Mériset witnessed great surprise. ** And the Bastile?’’ he murmured, in a stifled voice. ‘*Well, what of the Bastile?’’ **You have gone there?’’ **And I have left it.”’ “Quite sure?”’ **You see for yourself,’’ said Belle-Rose, laughing. *“Yes, yes, itis indeed you. But pardon my hesitation; there are people skillful enough to assume all sorts of ee ' be ] 9? ee. this dear Monsieur Belle-Rose—I am delighted to see him again. So you come to lodge with me?”’ __ “Yes, my good Monsieur Mériset. Where shall I find a Bs better host. But, you understand, for special reasons I ____ desire not to be known; you will not name me,” COMMMIELOOOKS