revolving different thoughts in his mind; and as if they had
suddenly excited his anger, he exclaimed, addressing himself to me:
'Wretch! I am confident that you have murdered my son!'

"I felt indignant at so insulting a charge. 'You hoary and lecherous
villain!' I exclaimed, 'if I had been inclined to kill any of your
worthless family, it is with you I should most assuredly have
commenced.'

"'Hold him fast,' cried he to the archers; 'he must give me some
tidings of my son; I shall have him hanged tomorrow, if he does not
presently let me know how he has disposed of him.'

"'You will have me hanged,' said I, 'will you? Infamous scoundrel! it
is for such as you that the gibbet is erected. Know that the blood
which flows in my veins is noble, and purer in every sense than yours.
Yes,' I added, 'I do know what has happened to your son; and if you
irritate me further, I will have him strangled before morning; and I
promise you the consolation of meeting in your own person the same
fate, after he is disposed of.'

"I was imprudent in acknowledging that I knew where his son was, but
excess of anger made me commit this indiscretion. He immediately
called in five or six other archers, who were waiting at the gate, and
ordered them to take all the servants into custody. 'Ah! ah!
Chevalier,' said he, in a tone of sardonic raillery,--'so you do know
where my son is, and you will have him strangled, you say? We will try
to set that matter to rights.'

"I now saw the folly I had committed.

"He approached Manon, who was sitting upon the bed, bathed in a flood
of tears. He said something, with the most cruel irony, of the
despotic power she wielded over old and young, father and son-- her
edifying dominion over her empire. This superannuated monster of
incontinence actually attempted to take liberties with her.

"'Take care,' exclaimed I, 'how you lay a finger upon her!-- neither
divine nor human law will be able, should your folly arouse it, to
shield you from my vengeance!'

"He quitted the room, desiring the archers to make us dress as quickly
as possible.

"I know not what were his intentions at that moment with regard to us;
we might perhaps have regained our liberty if we had told him where his
son was. As I dressed, I considered whether this would not be the
wisest course. But if, on quitting the room, such had been the
disposition of his mind, it was very different when he returned. He
had first gone