with the crowned and anointed King of France, now in uncertain
refuge at Blois.

King Philip had sent for him, and the Demon of the South had been in
good humour when he gave the stout Leonese gentleman his instructions.
He had just heard of the Day of the Barricades, and the success of the
Duke of Guise.

The Marquis had stood up before the master of two worlds, bronzed, hale
and bearded: not too clever, but just shrewd enough to please the King,
and certainly indomitable in doing what he was told. He had very much
the air of a free man and good subject, with his flat travelling cap in
one hand and the fingers of the other gripped staunchly about his
sword-hilt.

"The iron is hot on the anvil," said the King, "strike, Osorio! It is a
good job that the Duke of Err is out of the way. The pressure of the
times was too much for him. His poor old brain rocked. His Duchess has
taken him off somewhere to feed with spoon-meat. Olivarez, whom I have
sent to follow him, will give you no trouble. He will occupy himself
with King Henri and the Medici woman. The League and Guise--these are
your game--especially Guise. I suspect him to be a wind-bag, but put him
under your arm, and the wind in him will bravely play our music, like a
pair of Savoyard bagpipes. And hark ye, Osorio, listen to the Jesuit
fathers, especially Mariana--a very subtle man, Mariana, after mine own
heart. And also (here he sank his voice to something mysterious), above
all take with you your--your niece--Valentine?"

"Valentine la Nina!" ejaculated the King's representative, with a quick,
startled look at his master.

"Even so," said Philip, casting his eyes through the slit behind the
high altar of the Escorial to see what the priests were doing; "even so;
our Holy Mother Church is in danger, and if any love father or mother,
son or daughter more than her, he is not worthy of her!"

So by royal command Valentine la Nina rode northward with her uncle, and
though these two loved one another, they wrangled much by the way.

Claire and her cavalcade were reaching Blois, when the uncle and niece
entered Angers by the Long Bridges of Ce.

The cause of the girl's outbreak of petulance had been a harangue of the
envoy, in which he had explained, amongst other things, the reasons for
keeping their mission a secret. The King of France must not hear of it,
because their Philip did not want to show his hand. Henry of Navarre
must not hear of it, or he might sen