Bellenger shrugged, and waved his hands.

"You admit that he is?"

[Illustration: "I will again ask permission to take my charge away"]

"I admit nothing, monsieur. These are days in which we save our heads as
well as we can, and admit nothing."

"If we had never seen the dauphin we should infer that this is no common
child you are carrying away so secretly, bound by so many pledges. A man
like you, trusted with an important mission, naturally magnifies it. You
refuse to let us know anything about this affair?"

"I am simply obeying orders, monsieur," said Bellenger humbly. "It is
not my affair."

"You are better dressed, more at ease with the world than any other
refugee I have seen since we came out of France. Somebody who has money
is paying to have the child placed in safety. Very well. Any country but
his own is a good country for him now. My uncle and I will not
interfere. We do not understand. But liberty of any kind is better than
imprisonment and death. You can of course evade us, but I give you
notice I shall look for this boy in America, and if you take him
elsewhere I shall probably find it out."

"America is a large country," said Bellenger, smiling.

He took the boy by the hand, and made his adieus. The old De Ferrier
deeply saluted the boy and slightly saluted his guardian. The other De