amilton. It was short and in cipher:--

"DEAR FRIEND:

"This is to tell you that M. l'Abbe du Boise will soon be in London. He
will be the guest of M. Comte de Grammont.

"You do not know him. Please call on him when he arrives. Tell the
Duchess of Hearts that he will want to see her. Ask her to be ready to
help him. He goes to buy Dunkirk for the French king, and his success
will mean good fortune for me.

"Your friend,

"LE BLANC."

After reading the letter, I felt sure that the Abbe du Boise was George
Hamilton. I could hardly bring myself to believe that he would be so
foolhardy as to visit Whitehall, though I knew the adventure was of a
nature likely to appeal to his reckless disregard of consequences. I
knew also that, if successful, he would win the reward without which
life had little value to him.

I was sure that Hamilton had fully weighed the danger of his perilous
mission, and that he was deliberately staking his life on a last
desperate chance to win fortune and Frances Jennings.

Though perhaps Lilly was a charlatan in many respects, he was to be
trusted; still I did not feel that it was my place to impart George's
secret to him, though I had in mind a plan whereby he might be of great
help to the Abbe du Boise in influencing King Charles. The king consulted
him secretly in many important affairs, and I was sure that if the good
Doctor should be called in by his Majesty in the Dunkirk affair, the
stars would tell a story in accord with our desires if we made it to
Lilly's interest.

However, all of that must wait for the Abbe du Boise. Of one thing I was
sure; I must tell Frances at once so that she might be paving the way to
the king with her smiles. It would be a disagreeable task, but I knew she
would do it gladly, and I also knew that no woman could do it better.

While I had expressed my doubts to Frances concerning Hamilton's
emigration to Canada, I had not felt entirely sure there was nothing in
it, and she, womanlike, taking the worst for granted, had accepted it as
true. But the coming of the Abbe du Boise changed everything, and when I
saw her at her father's house and told her of my suspicions, and showed
her Le Blanc's letter, she was so greatly alarmed that she said she would
rather know that George had gone to Canada than to fear his return to
England under the circumstances.

"The dastardly king will take his life if he comes," she said.

"I admit the danger," I answered, as h