uld have been a
very serious business to assault a noble in his own castle. There
would almost certainly be twenty or thirty men there, at the
least, and the ringing of the alarm bell would have brought all
his vassals within five miles round to his aid, at once. I have no
doubt that I should have attempted something, but in what way I
could form no idea, until I saw the place."

The two young men laughed.

"I believe that you would have succeeded somehow, Kennedy," O'Neil
said. "After what you have done, I have an almost unlimited faith
in you, and if you told me you could see no other plan than
carrying off His Gracious Majesty, and taking him down to Tulle
and forcing him to order this rascal vicomte to deliver up his
captives, you would accomplish it."

Desmond laughed.

"The plan might be as good as another, though I own that it had
not occurred to me; but it would certainly necessitate my having
him held prisoner until I had got safely out of France, otherwise
my fate would assuredly be to be broken on the wheel."

"Yes; I don't think His Gracious Majesty would have forgiven such
an indignity, even if put upon him for a good purpose. It is
almost treason even to dream of such a thing."

Desmond laughed.

"It was a purely imaginary case; but you see, not having been
accustomed, as you are, to a country where the king is regarded
almost as a god, I am afraid I have not that awe of him that is
generally entertained here. I have, naturally, a great respect for
the king whom I serve, and whose pay is a matter of the greatest
importance to me; but after all, although in his service, he is
not my lawful king."

"Then you would not even imagine such a thing as to take your
lawful king, James, prisoner, however much the fate of someone in
whom you were interested was concerned?"

Desmond did not answer at once.

"I don't know," he said at last, "what I should do, in such a
case. For King James, as lawful king of my country, I have the
deepest respect, and would freely venture my life in his service;
but for him as a man, irrespective of his crown, I own that my
admiration is not extreme, and that I should not hesitate to join
in any plan for putting pressure upon him, on behalf of anyone in
whom I was extremely interested, as I certainly am now in
Mademoiselle de Pointdexter and Monsieur de la Vallee."

"You are a curious fellow, Kennedy," O'Neil said, with a smile,
"and I should be very much puzzled if I