He had merely made the suggestion, because he felt that Chauvelin's plans were complicated and obscure, and above all insufficient, and that perhaps after all the English adventurer and his wife would succeed in once more outwitting him, when there would remain the grand and bloody compensation of a wholesale butchery in Boulogne.
But Chauvelin was quite satisfied.

He knew that under present circumstances neither Sir Percy nor Marguerite would make any attempt to escape.

The ex-ambassador had lived in England: he understood the class to which these two belonged, and was quite convinced that no attempt would be made on either side to get Lady Blakeney away whilst the present ferocious order against the bread-winner of every family in the town held good.
Aye! the measures were sound enough.

Chauvelin was easy in his mind about that.

In another twenty-four hours he would hold the man completely in his power who had so boldly outwitted him last year; to-night he would sleep in peace: an entire city was guarding the precious hostage.
"We'll go to bed now, Citizen," he said to Collot, who, tired and sulky, was moodily fingering the papers on the table.