a purely
personal reason that I may tell you of later, but mainly because
his duty compelled him to secure the other party to the--let us say,
outrage. You follow, Monsieur Soi-disant?"

"_Parfaitement_, Madame la Duchesse," said Count Victor, wondering where
all this led to.

"I am a foolish sentimentalist, I daresay you may think--for a person of
my age (are you quite comfortable, monsieur? I fear that chair does not
suit you)--I am a foolish sentimentalist, as I have said, and I may tell
you I pleaded very hard for the release of this luckless compatriot of
yours who was then in the fosse. But, oh dear! his Grace was adamant, as
is the way with dukes, at least in this country, and I pleaded in vain."

"Naturally, madame; his Grace had his duty as a good subject."

"Doubtless," said the Duchess; "but there have been occasions in
history, they assure me, when good subjects have been none the less nice
husbands. Monsieur can still follow me?"

Count Victor smiled and bowed again, and wished to heaven her Grace the
Duchess had a little more of the gift of expedition. He had come looking
for a sword and found a sermon.

"I know I weary you," she went on complacently. "I was about to say that
while the Duke desires to do his duty, even at the risk of breaking his
wife's heart, it was obvious to me he was all the time sorry to have to
do it, and when we heard that our Frenchman had escaped I, take my word
for it, was not the only one relieved."

"I do not wonder, madame," said Montaiglon, "that the subject in this
case should capitulate to--to--to the--"

"To the loving husband, you were about to say. La! you are too gallant,
monsieur, I declare. And as a matter of fact the true explanation is
less to my husband's credit and less flattering to me, for he had his
own reasons."

"One generally has," reflected the Count aloud.

"Quite! and in his case they are very often mine. Dear Archie! Though he
did not think I knew it, I saw clearly that he had his own reasons, as I
say, to wish the Frenchman well out of the country. Now could you guess
what these reasons were?"

Count Victor confessed with shame that it was beyond him.

"I will tell you. They were not his own interests, and they were not
mine, that influenced him; I had not to think very hard to discover that
they were the interests of the Chamberlain. I fancy his Grace knows
that the less inquiry there is into this encounter the better for all
concerned."