and as ready
to lay down my life for our religion as any man or woman in France,
yet I cannot give up all the traditions of my rank, and hold that
fame and honour and reputation and courage are mere snares. But
such were not Lucie's feelings in letting him go, I will be bound;
nor yours."

"Mine partly," Marie said. "I am the wife now of a trader, though
one honoured in his class; but have still a little of your
feelings, Emilie, and remember that the blood of the De Moulins
runs in Philip's veins, and hope that he will do credit to it. I
don't think that Lucie has any such feelings. She is wrapt up in
duty--first her duty to God, secondly her duty to her crippled
husband, whom she adores; and I think she regarded the desire of
Philip to come out to fight in the Huguenot ranks as a call that
she ought not to oppose. I know she was heartbroken at parting with
him, and yet she never showed it.

"Lucie is a noble character. Everyone who knows her loves her. I
believe the very farm labourers would give their lives for her, and
a more utterly unselfish creature never lived."

"Well, she must take a holiday and come over with you, next time
you come, Marie. I hope that these troubles may soon be over,
though that is a thing one cannot foretell."

After seeing his aunt safely on board a ship at La Rochelle, Philip
prepared to return to the chateau. He and his aunt had stayed two
nights at the house of Maitre Bertram, and on his returning there
the latter asked:

"Have you yet found a suitable servant, Monsieur Philip?"

"No; my cousin has been inquiring among the tenantry, but the young
men are all bent on fighting, and indeed there are none of them who
would make the sort of servant one wants in a campaign--a man who
can not only groom horses and clean arms, but who knows something
of war, can forage for provisions, cook, wait on table, and has
intelligence. One wants an old soldier; one who has served in the
same capacity, if possible."

"I only asked because I have had a man pestering me to speak to you
about him. He happened to see you ride off, when you were here
last, and apparently became impressed with the idea that you would
be a good master. He is a cousin of one of my men, and heard I
suppose from him that you were likely to return. He has been to me
three or four times. I have told him again and again that he was
not the sort of man I could recommend, but he persisted in begging
me to let him see you him