at least is a man!"

He wore the long robe of a councillor, and carried no weapon, but he
would have been a daring man who attacked him. The danger in which he
stood troubled him not at all; he did not seem even to be aware of it.

"Put up your swords, gentlemen," he said quietly, and as if quite sure
that no one would question his right to command. Then, turning to De
Retz he added in the same cool tones, "Monsieur l'Abbe, I am surprised
you have not sufficient influence to prevent a breach of the peace! It
ill becomes a dignitary of the Church to be taking part in a street
brawl."

I can hardly imagine that De Retz was awed by the speaker--perhaps he
had private reasons for avoiding a quarrel with this strong, purposeful
man: at least he showed no offence at the rebuke, and not only
requested Henri to sheathe his sword, but actually offered a half
apology for the quarrel, which really was none of his seeking.

"One must always yield to the ladies!" he exclaimed gallantly, and,
with a courteous bow to the stranger, ordered his coach to be turned
back.

"Who is he?" I asked Raoul, as the peacemaker, after scolding D'Arcy
for his rudeness, and bidding him be less hasty in future, withdrew.

"Matthew Mole, the first President, and the only honest public man in
France," replied Raoul bitterly, as he resumed his place in the
procession.

The torch-bearers were not yet weary of their mischief, but the
encounter with De Retz rendered them less demonstrative, and the
remainder of the journey passed without incident. On arriving at the
Rue Crillon, in order to keep up the character of the play, Armand
marshalled his comrades in two lines, forming a kind of triumphal
passage for Marie and her aunt.

As soon as the ladies entered their house the escort dispersed, some
going one way, some another, Raoul and I walked away together, and
D'Arcy, still bubbling over with fun, accompanied us.

"A nice evening's amusement," laughed the young scamp; "but what was it
all about? _Ma foi_, Beauchamp, I shall have to look after you more
carefully in the future, or you will be getting into further scrapes!"

"Take care yourself," I suggested, "or De Retz will lay you by the
heels. He won't be in a hurry to forgive this night's work."

"Oh! the Abbe is a man of sense; he will laugh at the joke to-morrow,
and accept his defeat gracefully. What a firebrand your cousin is!
Did you notice his eyes flash? I thought he meant to