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And he hurled himself at a bell-pull and gave it a good tug.

It was the alarm bell.

11

THE NOTE

The other two officers of the Guard swiftly mounted the stairs, accompanied by a detachment from the post on duty. The doors were locked and two sentries came and stood at the entrance to each room.

“What do you want, monsieur?” the Queen asked Maurice when he stepped into the room. “I was about to go to bed five minutes ago, when the citizen municipal officer,” here the Queen indicated Agricola, “burst into the room suddenly without stating what he wanted.”

“Madame,” said Maurice bowing, “it is not my colleague who wants something from you, it is I.”

“You, monsieur?” asked Marie Antoinette, gazing at Maurice, whose good manners had inspired in her a certain gratitude. “And what is it you want?”

“I want you to kindly hand me the note that you were hiding a moment ago when I arrived.”

Madame Royale and Madame Elisabeth both gave a start. The Queen went very pale.

“You are seeing things, monsieur,” she said. “I hid nothing.”

“You’re lying, Austrian woman!” shouted Agricola.

Maurice promptly brought his hand down on his colleague’s arm.

“One moment, my dear colleague,” he said. “Let me speak to the citizeness. I’m a bit of a prosecutor.”

“Go ahead! But don’t be so nice to her, for pity’s sake!”

“You were hiding a note, citizeness,” Maurice said with severity. “You must hand over the note.”

“But what note?”

“The one the Tison girl brought you and that the citizeness, your daughter,” and here Maurice nodded toward the young princess, “picked up with her handkerchief.”

The three women looked at one another in horror.

“But, monsieur, this is more than mere tyranny,” said the Queen. “We are women! Women!”

“Let’s be clear,” said Maurice firmly. “We are neither judges nor executioners. We are prison supervisors, that is, citizens whose duty it is to keep watch over you. We have our orders; to violate them would be treason. Citizeness, please, give me the note you hid.”

“Messieurs,” said the Queen loftily, “since you are supervisors, perhaps you would care to have a look around and deprive us of sleep tonight as always.”

“God keep us from manhandling women. I am going to notify the Commune and we will await orders. But you will not be going to bed. You will sleep sitting up in these chairs, thank you, and we will keep watch over you.… If need be, the search will begin.”

“What’s the matter now?” asked Mother Tison, showing her frazzled head at the door.

“The matter, citizeness, is that you have just deprived yourself of ever seeing your daughter again by lending a hand to her bout of treason.”

“Ever seeing my daughter! … What are you saying, citizen?” asked Mother Tison, unable to grasp why she would not be seeing her daughter ever again.

“I’m telling you, your daughter did not come here to see you but to bring a letter to citizeness Capet; and she will not be coming back again.”

“But if she doesn’t come back again, I won’t be able to see her, since we’re not allowed to leave.”

“This time you’ve only yourself to blame; it’s your fault,” said Maurice.

“Oh!” howled the poor mother, “My fault! What are you saying? My fault? But nothing happened, I’m sure of it. Oh! If I thought something had happened, you’d be in for it, Antoinette, you’d really catch it then!”

With that, the distraught woman shook her fist at the Queen.

“Don’t you threaten anyone,” said Maurice. “Try and use a little kindness instead to get us what we want. You’re a woman, after all; citizeness Antoinette, who is also a mother, will no doubt take pity on a mother such as herself. Tomorrow your daughter will be arrested, tomorrow she will be locked up.… Then, if they find anything, and you know very well that when they want to find something they always do, she will be finished, and her friend with her.”

Mother Tison, who had listened to Maurice with growing terror, turned on the Queen her almost deranged gaze.

“You hear that, Antoinette? … My daughter! … It’s you who will have sunk my daughter!”

The Queen appeared