The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-02-20 00:00:00

the morning, had a reviving influence upon them all.
Nevertheless they were not out of the precincts of the
cloister; delapidated buildings still surrounded the court,
except on one side, where a door was pierced in the wall.
But this door appeared to have been closed for many
years ; its hinges and bolts were rusted, and a large stone
was rolled against it. Boniface, however, set to work,
and, aided by the Scholar,quietly cleared away the stones,
then drawing from his pocket a large key, he without
difficulty turned the lock, and after assuring himself that
there were none to observe them, made a sign to his com-
panions that they could escape without fear of detection.
Fabien and Elizabeth lost no time in availing themselves
of the invitation. As for Eustache, after exchanging a
few words in a low voice with his relation, he rejoined
them in silence, and the door was quietly closed after
them. The next moment they heard Boniface replace
one by one the stones against the door, so that no one
might supposeat had been opened, for the worthy fellow
appeared to make it his business to place in security the
secret of the gentlemen of the household, who sometimes
availed themselves at nightfall of this outlet, unknown to
the guards of the palace.
Fabien would have addressed some words of thanks to

the humble functionary who had thus contributed to avert
the danger that threatened them ; but he had not time
He found himself in a narrow and muddy lane, one end
of which the door they had passed through occupied, while
the other opened upon the Rue St. Honore. The night
was still dark, and a profound silence reigned throughout
the sleeping city. Elizabeth, alarmed, clung to her lover,
shivering with cold, and enquired, in a low voice—
" Oh ! Fabien, whither do you conduct me P"
At this moment the Scholar, who went a little in ad-
vance, returned to them, after assuring himself that the
Rue St. Honore, which was dimly lighted by a few strag-
gling lamps, was totally deserted.
" Mons. de Croissi," said he, with embarrassment,
" two steps from this you will find a coach awaiting you,
which will bear you to a place of perfect safety ; but I
must confess to you that my instructions did not provide
for the presence of—"
He stopped and looked at Elizabeth.
" The presence of one whose safety is dearer to me than
my own," added Fabien. "If you cannot further be use-
ful to us, sir, speak without fear. I will seek at once an
asylum for this lady, and I will no longer be indebted to
you and to those who have employed you in a service
which I can never sufficiently repay. Only tell me the
name of my protector."
" Are you then really ignorant upon that point ?"
asked Vireton ; "do you not know that it is the Coad-
jutor who has concerted with me this plan of escape P
Have you not guessed that I have been instructed to
conduct you to the Petit-Archeveque—to the Coadjutor's
own residence ?"

" I dare not think so ? this is the second time that noble
personage has saved my life, without my knowing why he
should take so warm an interest in my fate. But how did
he learn that this night I should he in the royal palace,
and that I should perhaps excite the anger of—of a
powerful person ?"

" You can ask him that question yourself ; all I know
is that he is perfectly well informed of all your proceed-
ings, and that I myself have apprised him of them. But,"
continued he, breaking off from his subject, " neither time
nor place are now fitting for explanations. Heaven is my
witness that I would render you assistance, as well as
this gentle lady, but I fear I shall outstep the orders I
have received. Nevertheless, it is imperative that we find
for her some place of safety."
" You see, dear Fabien," said Elizabeth, sighing,
" what embarrassment I still cause you. But do you, sir,"
added she, addressing the Scholar, " do you know any
worthy family in Paris who could give me a shelter for
this night at least P" _

" Elizabeth," interrupted Fabien, with firmness, " I
will not consent to be separated from you ; and why not
now, in the midst of our perplexity, address ourselves to
the kind-hearted prelate who has so often come to our aid.
Mons. Eustache, would it be infringing the limits of your
orders to conduct us into the presence of the Coadjutor,
so that we may supplicate his assistance and protection?"
Eustache reflected for a few moments.

" Faith, we will see what can he done. M. le Coad-
jutor is a man who has abundant resources in cases of
difficulty. Now that the mischief is done, this lady must
accompany us, although perhaps I ought to have pro-
tested against her leaving the palace. Let us, however,
go forward ; the night is cold, and the lady already feels
its influence. Let us hope for the best."
The next moment they stepped into the Rue St. Honore,
and turned quickly to the left, passing along the Rue
Croix des Petits Champs, at which stood the principal
entrance to the Cloister- --that through which some hours
previous Fabien had passed with his brother. In a re-
cess in the street a coach was stationed, drawn by two
horses, the driver asleep on his seat, all around silent and
motionless.

Nevertheless, when the Scholar advanced to waken
up the driver, this solitude appeared suddenly peopled.
Five or six individuals envelopped in mantles, silent as
shadows, issued from the doorways in the vicinity
wherein they had been hidden, and quickly approached.
Elizabeth could scarcely restrain a cry of terror,
and pressed closely to Fabien ; both stopped ; but their
disquietude was not of long duration, in respect to these
phantoms. Eustache spoke to them a few words in an
under tone of voice, and they disappeared, as silently and
suddenly as if by enchantment. During this short con-
ference the coachman had descended from his seat, and
opened the door of his carriage. Having got rid of his
silent companions, the Scholar invited his young compa-
nions to enter the coach, seating himself near them. The
carriage was then driven away with all the speed that the
ponderous vehicles of the time would admit.

The mysterious apparitions which had but just seemed
to vanish before their eyes amazed Fabien and Elizabeth,
and they could not but harbour a vague suspicion of the
intentions of Vireton towards them.

" I will undertake," said the Scholar, breaking silence,
" that I can divine what is now occupying your thoughts.
You are surprised to have seen, on a sudden, people
springing up as if from out of the earth. Well, I neednot
now make a secret of the circumstance, and I will tell you
honestly the truth. It appears that you were to have been
engaged in an enterprise that the Coadjutor had deter-
mined with all his power to oppose ; he suspected that
you would refuse to take any part in the affair, and it was
to shield you from the consequence of your refusal that he
had arranged with me the plan of escape you have effected,
thanks to my worthy cousin. But I confess to you that
if in place of refusing, you had accepted the mission in
question, I had orders to take you into custody as you
were leaving the cloister with your relation, and I need
hardly say that those persons whom I have just dismissed
would have found no difficulty in effecting the intended
capture."
Fabien remained pensive for a minute.

" I am the sport of passions and interests that I do not
understand," said he, sadly, " and in the chaos in which
I seem to be plunged I can hardly distinguish friends from
foes. But you, sir," added he, addressing Vireton,
" who are you ? What motive have you to brave these
real dangers to serve me—l who am unknown to you —I
cannot think you are merely a simple student of Sor-
bonne ?"

" And, nevertheless, nunquain nzagis arnica verilas,"
said the scholar, who always brought out his Latin to
help him when in a state of embarassment ; "it is the
exact truth. As for me, I brought myself once by chance
under the notice of a man whose custom it is richly to
reward all those who make themselves the instruments
of his good works and will, and for the carrying out of his
projects. The day on which the events on Pont-Neuf
occurred, my lord desired me to watch over you, and
bring him any intelligence of your movements, and of
your health, good sir. This day, then, after having es-
caped the notice of your brother's people, I went to the Co-
adjutor, ignorant, it is true, of the importance of the de-
tails that I possessed respecting you, but sure of engaging
his good offices in your favour. In fact, the information
I gave him of the sort of captivity you had to endure—of
my visit to the Palace—of the danger I had run of being
discovered—joined to what he knew himself,—appeared
to interest him greatly. While I was with him he re-
ceived a letter written in cyphers, which announced that
you had already entered the Palace—at least so I sup-
posed, for his lordship immediately began to ask me about
my cousin Boniface, and upon the possibility of penetrat-
ing into the cloister and departing from it atpleasure. You
know the rest; and surely, sir, amidst the trouble in
which you now find yourself, if you are embarrassed in re-
cognising your friends, I think you need not reckon me
amongst the number of your enemies."
These explanations, vague as they were, began to put
Fabien upon the scent of the truth. It appeared evident
to him that the Coadjutor, who would save at any price
the life of the Prince de onde, could not find any surer
way of preventing the deed than by securing the person
of the man destined to commit it, and keeping him always
in sight. Doubtless the Coadjutor felt pity for his mis-
fortunes, which was mixed up with other motives ; hence
the kindly caution he had given him at their first inter-
view, and the timely succour he had afforded to rescue
him 'from the hands of his brother. Although these
suppositions were reasonable, Fabien still wished to ques-
tion Eustache respecting several obscure circumstances,
when a dull sound caused by the carriage passing under
an archway, gave notice of their having arrived at the
conclusion of their journey.