Marthe trembled at the thought that she was now to hear the secret of the mystery.

She ran to the farm with her mother and shut herself up to read the following letter:-- My dear Marthe,--You can rely on the discretion of the man who will give you this letter; he does not know how to read or to write.

He is a stanch Republican, and shared in Baboeuf's conspiracy; your father often made use of him, and he regards the senator as a traitor.

Now, my dear wife, attend to my directions.
The senator has been shut up by us in the cave where our masters were hidden.

The poor creature had provisions for only five days, and as it is our interest that he should live, I wish you, as soon as you receive this letter, to take him food for at least five days more.