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If Madame Simon had been un-amenable, if Heron had remained in the room all the time, if Cochefer had had two looks at the dummy instead of one well, then, something else would have helped me, something would have occurred; something I know not what but surely something which Chance meant to be on our side, if only we were quick enough to seize it and so you see how simple it all is."
There could not have been any one else concealed about the place that I'll swear. Cochefer, after he took leave of me, went straight into the room; he found the woman Simon in the act of turning the key in the door of the inner chamber. I have locked Capet in there, she said, giving the key to Cochefer; 'he will be quite safe until to-night; when the other commissaries come.
They are making wild schemes to cover their treachery. Cochefer is aware of his own danger, and Lasniere and the others know that they arrived at the Tower several hours too late. They are all at fault, and they know it. As for that de Batz," he continued with a voice rendered raucous with bitter passion, "I swore to him two days ago that he should not escape me if he meddled with Capet.
"I am sorry to keep you waiting, but the new commissaries have arrived who are to take charge of Capet. The Simons have just gone, and I want to assure myself that everything is all right in the Tower. Cochefer has been in charge, but I like to cast an eye over the brat every day myself." He went out again, slamming the door behind him.
We saw the child lying on the rug, just as Cochefer had seen him, and for a while we took no notice of it. Then some one I think it was Lorinet went to have a closer look at the brat. He took up the candle and went up to the rug. Then he gave a cry, and we all gathered round him. The sleeping child was only a bundle of hair and of clothes, a dummy what?"
The dummy was just splendid, with real hair on its head; Madame helped me to substitute it for the child; we laid it on the sofa and covered it over with a rug, even while those brutes Heron and Cochefer were on the landing outside, and we stuffed His Majesty the King of France into a linen basket. The room was badly lighted, and any one would have been deceived.
I had seen Capet safely installed in the room, and gave orders to the woman Simon to let citizen Cochefer have a look at him, too, and then to lock up the brat in the inner room and install Cochefer in the antechamber on guard. I stood talking to Cochefer for a few moments in the antechamber. The woman Simon and the man-of-all-work, Dupont whom I know well were busy with the furniture.
"Pull yourself together, man," he said roughly after a while, "and try and tell me what has occurred." Heron had sunk into a chair. He passed a trembling hand once or twice over his forehead. "Capet has disappeared," he murmured; "he must have been spirited away while the Simons were moving their furniture. That accursed Cochefer was completely taken in."
"He will find out soon enough how well off he was under our care." "Have the other commissaries come yet?" "No. But they will be here directly. Citizen Cochefer is upstairs mounting guard over Capet." "Well, good-bye, Papa Simon," concluded Chauvelin jovially. "Citizeness, your servant!"
"Didn't Cochefer go into the room and ascertain whether the woman was lying?" "Yes, he did! He made the woman re-open the door and peeped in over her shoulder. She said the child was asleep. He vows that he saw the child lying fully dressed on a rug in the further corner of the room.
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