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18 moreover, by happy chance, a dealer in muskets, bombs, powder, cutlasses, brass cannon, bayonets. He had on hand enough uniforms, shoes, hats and such to equip an army, if any such should happen into his store. Could he be seen? Why, not just at the moment. He was at home in his château studying his illustrious family tree. But his confidential agent was right inside.

Of course it was the writer of the plot, none other than the versatile M. de Beaumarchais himself. Roderique Hortalez, the great Spanish godfather and providential angel of the rebellion must have fallen from a cliff into the sea. For nobody has ever seen him from that day to this.

Possibly he was quite content to have his business entirely run by so able a lieutenant and upon such classic lines, worthy of the best traditions of the Comédie Française.

The success of this neat little arrangement and its enormous importance to our Revolution can best be demonstrated by those dispatches