"And how did you escape from these
people?" he asked.
"You know, Prince de Conde," answered the boy, smiling. "It is you
who helped me escape."
"Tell me about this matter a little," said the prince, "and how you
have fared since then. I contributed, as you suppose, to your
release, but I was not present In person. How did you escape from
the Temple?"
"I was put into a basket with soiled clothes, which Mistress Simon
was taking away with her from the Temple. This basket she gave to a
washerwoman who was waiting for us at the Macon gate. She had a
little donkey-cart in readiness there, the basket was put into it,
and went on to a village, the name of which I do not know. There we
stopped; I was taken out of the basket and carried into a house,
where we remained a few hours to rest and change our clothes."
"We? Whom do you mean by we?"
"Me and the supposed washerwoman," replied the boy. "This woman was,
however, no other than M. de Jarjayes, whom I knew long ago, and
who, with Fidele--I should say, with Toulan--had thought out and
executed the plan of my escape. M. de Jarjayes changed his clothes,
as did I also, and after remaining concealed in the house all day,
in the evening we took a carriage and rode all night. On the next
day we remained concealed in some house, and in the night we
continued our journey.
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