riend.

"So!" he shouted, "it was Marguerite de Roberval you dared to kiss--you,
whose lips are polluted with the kisses of a thousand light-o'-loves!
Draw, and defend yourself!"

"Draw, Claude! Never!" and he drew his cloak more closely about him, so
as not to let it be seen that he was unarmed. "Never, Claude. Friend in
love, friend in war, friend in death, even if that friend give the blow.
Strike if you will; I have done dishonourably, and no hand is so worthy
to punish dishonour as the hand of Claude de Pontbriand."

"Enough of this," interrupted De Roberval. "Put up your sword, De
Pontbriand. He has apologised, and I accept his explanation. The whole
affair arose from a mistake. It would be well, however," he added,
turning to Charles, "if this would teach you a lesson on the unmanliness
of assaulting every unprotected woman you may happen to meet. But
where," and he checked himself suddenly, and threw a piercing glance
round him, "is the woman whose scream you heard? Has there been any one
else here?"

"We were some little distance away, Sieur," said De Pontbriand, "when we
heard the scream, and when we came out into the open there certainly
seemed to be a number of figures here, three of whom disappeared on our
approach into the shadow of yonder wall; and when I turned to look for
them, there was no one to be seen."

The fact was that Marie's quick eye had caught sight of the two men as
they emerged into the moonlight and came towards them, and, like a
flash, she had drawn the other two women into the shadow of the wall.
The instant they recognised the voices, knowing that all was safe, and
in terror of being discovered, the two girls seized each an arm of old
Bastienne, and taking advantage of the momentary surprise caused by
Claude's discovery of the identity of Charles' opponent, had made their
way back to the nearest street, with a speed to which the old
serving-woman's legs were totally unaccustomed, and never rested till
they had landed her, breathless and panting, at the door of their own
house.

Charles, in the meantime, discreetly held his peace. He might have
imagined that he had dreamt the whole scene had not De Pontbriand been
able to vouch for the scream. At all events there was now no trace of
the three women to be seen, and after a thorough examination of every
possible spot where so much as a mouse might have been concealed, they
gave up the search. De Roberval looked a little perturbed.