e back again! I saw you;
I was sitting with my dead boy on my knees--I saw you--"

With a furious cry the marquis tore a revolver from his pocket
and sprang on the Emperor, and at the same instant Jack seized
the crazy man by the shoulders and hurled him violently to the
floor.

Stunned, limp as a rag, the marquis lay at the Emperor's feet,
his clenched hands slowly relaxing.

The Emperor had not moved.

Scarcely knowing what he did, Jack stooped, drew the revolver
from the extended fingers, and laid it on the table. Then, with a
fearful glance at the Emperor, he dragged the marquis to the
door, opened it with a shove of his foot, and half closed it
again.

The aide-de-camp stood there, staring at the prostrate man.

"Here, help me with him to his carriage; he is ill," panted
Jack--"lift him!"

Together they carried him out to the terrace, and down the steps
to a coupe that stood waiting.

"The marquis is ill," said Jack again; "put him to bed at once.
Drive fast."

Before the sound of the wheels died away Jack hastened back to
the dining-room. Through the half-opened door he peered,
hesitated, turned away, and mounted the stairs slowly to his own
chamber.

In the dining-room the lamp still burned dimly. Beside it sat the
Emperor, head bent, picking absently at the table-cloth with
short, shrunken thumbs.

XV

THE INVASION OF LORRAINE

It was not yet dawn. Jack, sleeping with his head on his elbow,
shivered in his sleep, gasped, woke, and sat up in bed. There was
a quiet footfall by his bed, the scrape of a spur, then silence.

"Is that you, Mr. Grahame?" he asked.

"Yes; I didn't mean to wake you. I'm off. I was going to leave a
letter to thank you and Madame de Morteyn--"

"Are you dressed? What time is it?"

"Four o'clock--twenty minutes after. It's a shame to rouse you,
my dear fellow."

"Oh, that's all right," said Jack. "Will you strike a
light--there are candles on my dresser. Ah, that's better."

He sat blinking at Grahame, who, booted and spurred and buttoned
to the chin, looked at him quizzically.

"You were not going off without your coffee, were you?" asked
Jack. "Nonsense!--wait." He pulled a bell-rope dangling over his
head. "Now that means coffee and hot rolls in twenty minutes."

When Jack had bathed and shaved, operations he executed with
great rapidity, the coffee was brought, and he and Grahame fell
to by candle-light.

"I thought you were afoot?" said Jack, g