"But why do you yourself not go away with
the boy and leave Paris, where you are constantly in danger?"
"I cannot," answered Toulan, solemnly.
"Cannot! what forbids you?"
"The vow that I gave to Marie Antoinette, to rescue her children
from the Temple or to die."
"Well, but to-morrow you hope to fulfil your vow, and then you can
go."
"I shall fulfil to-morrow but the half of my vow. I shall, if you
help me, and my plan succeeds, release the son of the queen, but the
daughter will remain behind in prison. You see, therefore, that I
cannot leave Paris, for the daughter and sister-in-law of the queen
are still prisoners, and I must release them."
"But I should rather that you would go away with the boy, and never
come back to Paris," said Simon, thoughtfully.
"How so? Do you not trust me?"
"I trust no one," replied Simon, gloomily. "You might some day, when
it might suit your humor, or in order to save yourself, betray me,
and report me to the Committee of Safety."
"What, I! And ought I not to fear too? Could not you betray me as
well?"
"You know very well that I shall take care not to disclose a word of
this whole history, for to disclose it would be to write my own
death-warrant. But hush, now; hush! there is the Temple, and it
seems to me as if the very walls looked at me maliciously, as if
they wanted to say, 'There comes a traitor!' Ah, Toulan, it is a bad
thing to have an accusing conscience!"
"Help me faithfully to save the prince, Simon, and you will have a
good conscience all the rest of your life, for you will have done a
grand and noble deed.
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