The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-12-01

A tall dark man, with a saturnins
cast of countenance, man well-dress-
ed and carrying portfolio under HI:
arm had overtaken him
Walk beside me" said this person
land do not show any sign of sur
prise at what | say, or raise your voice
| am being followed. All is over, al
least for the present The police have
made a perquisition at the Rue Saint
Jacques, Barthelmy and Contains arc
arrested. ] as the head center am on
the edge of arrest, this portfolio is
only blind, it contains nothing of i'm
portance, but ! have with me a small
packet, it contains papers and the
names of the committee, their ad-
dresses abroad and in Paris, and the
seal. was on my way to your house
to intrust it TO you"
Il am leaving Paris for Vienna,
said De Lussac, shocked at this hand
which the conspiracy had suddenly laid
on his shoulder.
Good, you will take it with you till
we can reconstitute ourselves, but you
must not keep it on your person; bury
it, hide it, till you leave, lest you should
be arrested and it be found on you."
Il will do SC" replied De Lussac.
But that is not all. there is coun-
ter-stroke. De Sartines, who has Us
in his power, IS in our power If we
can only act You are the person who
must act so as to free US. You are a
free agent, there is no evidence against
you and you are so highly placed that
they dare not arrest you on suspicion
as they have Barthelmy and Contains
and as they will most likely me. Dieu !
the perspiration pours from me when
l think that some hand may be laid
on my shoulder before l have time to
tell you. Listenl The people are starry
ing. De Sartines, Terray, and the king,
with your kinsman, De Richelieu for
assistant, have bought up all the corn
available, using as agent a man, Mon
sieur Porcheron of Vitry. A contract
has been signed with Porcheron, that
contract has De Sartines' name upon
it. that contract is in the house of your
kinSman, De Richelieu, and that con-
tract you must secure. Once It is IN
your hands you have De Ssrtines in
your power, and the release of Con-
fans and Barthelmy follows: We can
then reconstitute ourselves and go on
working"
But how does this contract place
De Sartines in our power"
Said the stranger, speaking slowly,
patiently, as if explaining to a child:
The people arc starving, the price OF
corn is rising day by way. Who is
raising the price of corn and bread!
Who. but the cnnspirators of whom
De Sartines is the chief. They have
withdrawn half the corn of France
from the markets to sell it at the
highest figure
"Dieur' cried De Lussac suddenly
What a villainy! Il
this were proved"
IF it were proved, the people would
tear De Sartines to pieces or hang him
and the king, to save his name, would
give them the rope"
rs the kings name upon this con-
tract"
There is no name but the names of
De SartineS and PorcherOn.'
And with this contract in ones
hand"
"De Sartines will be entirely in your
power"
Are you sure it is in the possession
of the due"
Certain, our agents are never mis-
taken, it is in his house at Versailles.
Have you dined with Monsieur lie Due
lately?"
No"
'If you had, you would have been
waited on by footman of exception
ally good manners and appearance. He
was one of us-Lamport-a man you
have never seen; he was there to Sc
cure this document but he was arrest
ed last night. Besides CONTAINS and
Barthelmy. dozens of smaller men have
been arrested"
Does the Due de Richelieu suspect
hat Lamport joined his service in or
der to secure the paper"
"Oh, no, the corn merchants fancy
themselves secure in their infamy and
rightly. for the thing has been done in
most entire secrecy. 1t was Porcher-
on's wife who betrayed the matter to
an agent of ours. Love. my friend. is
very useful in affairs of this kind"
De Lussac shuddered.
But "a document of this sort-how