til he stood with Robert and
Tayoga. He was perhaps the only one of the _honnetes gens_ in the
garden, and while he was a Frenchman, first, last and all the time, he
knew who Boucher was and what he represented, he understood the reason
why Robert had been drawn into the garden and he was willing to see the
punishment of the man who was to have been the sanguinary instrument of
the plot.

"A miracle will defeat the best of plans," he said to de Courcelles.

"What do you mean, de Galisonniere?" asked de Courcelles with a show of
effrontery.

"That an unknown hunter should prove himself a better swordsman than
your great duelist and bravo, Boucher."

"Why do you call him my duelist and bravo, de Galisonniere?"

"I understand that you brought young Lennox into the garden, apparently
his warm friend on the way, and then when he was here, stood aside."

"You must answer for such insinuations, Captain de Galisonniere."

"But not to you, my friend. My sword will be needed in the coming war,
and I'm not called upon to dull it now against one who was a principal
in a murderous conspiracy. I may be over particular about those with
whom I fight, de Courcelles, but I am what I am."

"You mean you will not fight me?"

"Certainly not. A meeting would cause the reasons for it to be threshed
out, and we are not so many here in Canada that those reasons would not
become known to all, and you, I fancy, would not relish the spread of
such knowledge. The Intendant is a powerful man, but the Marquis
Duquesne is the head of our military life, and he would not be pleased
to hear what one of his officers so high in rank has done here tonight."

All the blood left de Courcelles' face, and he shook with anger, but he
knew in his heart that de Galisonniere spoke the deadly truth. Besides,
the whole plan had gone horribly wrong. And it had been so well laid.
Who could have thought that a wandering hunter would appear at such a
time, take the whole affair into his hands, and prove himself a better
swordsman than Boucher, who was reputed not to have had his equal in
France. It was the one unlucky chance, in a million! Nay, it was worse!
It was a miracle that had appeared against them, and in that de
Galisonniere had told the truth. Rage and terror stabbed at his heart,
rage that the plan laid so smoothly had failed, and terror for himself.
No, he would not challenge de Galisonniere.

"You will notice, de Courcelles," said the young Capta