“Faith! with your permission,” replied Morgan, gayly, “I am making myself comfortable.”
“But those pistols you have just laid aside—”
“Ah! did you think I brought them for you?”
“For whom then?”
“Why, that damned police! You can readily imagine that I am not disposed to let citizen Fouché lay hold of me, without burning the mustache of the first of his minions who lays hands on me.”
“But once here you feel you have nothing to fear?”
“The deuce!” exclaimed the young man; “I have your word.”
“Then why don’t you unmask?”
“Because my face only half belongs to me; the other half belongs to my companions. Who knows if one of us being recognized might not drag the others to the guillotine? For of course you know, colonel, we don’t hide from ourselves that that is the price of our game!”
“Then why risk it?”