e in prison."

"They were both under arrest in the Castle of Loches, that delightful
place of retirement for the French nobility," said D'Hymbercourt,
"but Louis has released them, in order to bring them with him--perhaps
because he cared not to leave Orleans behind. For his other attendants,
faith, I think his gossip, the Hangman Marshal, with two or three of his
retinue, and Oliver, his barber, may be the most considerable--and the
whole bevy so poorly arrayed, that, by my honour, the King resembles
most an old usurer, going to collect desperate debts, attended by a body
of catchpolls."

"And where is he lodged?" said Crevecoeur.

"Nay, that," replied the Comines, "is the most marvellous of all. Our
Duke offered to let the King's Archer Guard have a gate of the town, and
a bridge of boats over the Somme, and to have assigned to Louis himself
the adjoining house, belonging to a wealthy burgess, Giles Orthen, but,
in going thither, the King espied the banners of De Lau and Pencil de
Riviere, whom he had banished from France, and scared, as it would seem,
with the thought of lodging so near refugees and malcontents of his own
making, he craved to be quartered in the castle of Peronne, and there he
hath his abode accordingly."

"Why, God ha' mercy!" exclaimed Crevecoeur, "this is not only not being
content with venturing into the lion's den, but thrusting his head into
his very jaws.--Nothing less than the very bottom of the rat trap would
serve the crafty old politician!"

"Nay," said Comines, "D'Hymbercourt hath not told you the speech of
Le Glorieux [the jester of Charles of Burgundy of whom more hereafter.
S.]--which, in my mind, was the shrewdest opinion that was given."

"And what said his most illustrious wisdom?" asked the Count.

"As the Duke," replied Comines, "was hastily ordering some vessels and
ornaments of plate and the like, to be prepared as presents for the King
and his retinue, by way of welcome on his arrival:

"'Trouble not thy small brain about it, my friend Charles,' said Le
Glorieux, 'I will give thy cousin Louis a nobler and a fitter gift than
thou canst, and that is my cap and bells, and my bauble to boot, for,
by the mass, he is a greater fool than I am, for putting himself in thy
power.'

"'But if I give him no reason to repent it, sirrah, how thou?' said the
Duke.

"'Then, truly, Charles, thou shalt have cap and bauble thyself, as the
greatest fool of the three of us.'

"I promis