"I ought to take it with me," said the messenger.
"I can"t disturb his excellency now," replied the tiger; "those are my master"s express orders, which I can"t presume to disobey. He will send the answer on immediately it is ready."
The man paused.
"The consul was expecting this letter," said Chivey, moving towards the door, "and he told me particularly that he would send the answer on."
"_Puisqu"il est ainsi_," said the man, dubiously. "Since it must be so, I suppose I had better leave the letter."
"Of course you had," returned Chivey, closing the door. "I daresay you will get the answer within an hour."
At that very moment the servant returned with a message from the consul to the effect that in half an hour he could be seen, if the applicant would call again.
"Very good," said Chivey, in the same patronising manner, "you may tell your master that I will look back later on."
"Very well, sir."
Chivey walked out, chuckling inwardly at the success of his mission.
"What could be easier?" said the c.o.c.kney scamp to himself; "sh.e.l.ling peas is a fool to it."
But before he could get fairly over the threshold, the servant stopped him with a question that startled him a little, and well-nigh made him lose his presence of mind.
"The man who called just now, sir, he left a letter."
"Eh? Oh, yes!"
"For you, sir?"
"Yes," added Chivey with the coolest effrontery. "My servant knew that I had come on here; thinking to be detained some time with his excellency the consul, I left word at my hotel where I was coming, and he followed me here with a letter."
"Oh, I see, sir," returned the servant, obsequiously, "quite so, sir, beg pardon, sir."
"Not at all, my good man, not at all," returned Chivey, superciliously; "you are a very civil, well-spoken young man--here is a trifle for you."
He pa.s.sed the servant a large silver coin, and walked on.
The servant bowed again and examined the coin, in the process of bobbing his head.
"Five francs," said the consul"s servant, to himself; "he"s a real swell, anyone can see."
One word more.
The five-franc piece which had in no slight degree bia.s.sed the servant"s opinion of the visitor, was one of Pierre Lenoir"s admirable manufacture.
"Let"s have a look at the letter, Chivey," said Herbert Murray, as soon as his servant got back.
But Chivey seemed to hesitate.
"Come, come," said Murray, "we shall not quarrel about the terms."
"We oughnt"t to," returned the tiger, "for it"s worth a Jew"s eye."
Murray tore the letter open and read it down eagerly.
As it throws some additional light upon the actual state of affairs with the Harkaway party, possibly it may be as well to give the letter of young Jack to the consul verbatim.
It was dated from the prison.
"SIR,--I wish to solicit your immediate a.s.sistance in getting released from the above uncomfortable premises, where, in company with a party of friends and fellow-travellers, I have been by a singular accident carried by the police. From sc.r.a.ps of information I have gained while here, I believe I am correct in a.s.serting that we have fallen into a trap, cunningly prepared for us by an unscrupulous fellow-countryman of ours, who has cogent reasons for wishing us out of the way, and has accordingly caused me and my friends to be arrested as coiners. The person in question is named Herbert Murray, but I am unable to say under what _alias_ he is at present known in this part of the world. I mention this that you may be able to keep an eye upon the individual pending our release on bail, for I presume that bail is a French inst.i.tution. My signature will serve you for reference on me, as it may readily be identified at my father"s bankers here, Messrs. B. Fould & Co.
"Your obedient servant,
"JACK HARKAWAY."
Herbert Murray pursed his brows as he read on.
"What do you think of that?" demanded Chivey.
"Queer!"
"Precious queer."
"The one lesson to be learnt from it, Chivey," said his master, "is to stop all correspondence between the prisoners and the consul."
"And push forward the trial as much as possible."
"Yes, and get together as many reliable witnesses as we can----"
"Buy them at a pound apiece," concluded Chivey.
"Right," said Herbert Murray, with a mischievous grin; "forewarned, forearmed; we hold them now and we"ll keep them----"
"Please the pigs," concluded Chivey fervently.
CHAPTER XCVI.
OUR FRIENDS IN DURANCE VILE--A STROKE FOR LIBERTY--THE PRISONERS"
PLOT--MOLE IS PRESCRIBED FOR--A FRIEND IN NEED--HOPES AND MISGIVINGS--"OLD WET BLANKET."
"It"s very odd."