e an assault upon Condillac,
endeavouring to carry it and to let the Queen's will prevail by force of
arms, tell me so, and I am gone tomorrow."

"Whither would you go?" she cried, her voice strained with sudden
affright.

"I might seek help at Lyons or Moulins. I might find loyal soldiers who
would be willing to follow me by virtue of my warrant to levy such help
as I may require, if I but tell them that the help was refused me in
Grenoble. I am not sure that it would be so, for, unfortunately, my
warrant is for the Seneschal of Dauphiny only. Still, I might make the
attempt."

"No, no," she implored him, and in her eagerness to have him put all
thought of leaving her from his mind, she caught him by the arm and
raised a pleading face to his. "Do not leave me here, monsieur; of your
pity do not leave me alone amongst them. Think me a coward if you will,
monsieur: I am no less. They have made a coward of me."

He understood the thing she dreaded, and a great pity welled up from
his generous heart for this poor unfriended girl at the mercy of the
beautiful witch of Condillac and her beautiful rascally son. He patted
the hand that clutched his arm.

"I think, myself, that it will be best if I remain, now that I have come
so far," he said. "Let me ponder things. It may well be that I shall
devise some way."

"May Heaven inspire you, monsieur. I shall spend the night in prayer, I
think, imploring God and His saints to show you the way you seek."

"Heaven, I think, should hear your prayers, mademoiselle," he answered
musingly, his glance upon the white, saintly face that seemed to shine
in the deepening gloom. Then, suddenly he stirred and bent to listen.

"Sh! Some one is coming," he whispered. And he sped quickly from her
side and into the outer room, where he sank noiselessly on to his chair
as the steps ascended the stone staircase and a glow of yellow light
grew gradually in the doorway that opened on to it.

CHAPTER XII. A MATTER OF CONSCIENCE

That he might inspire the more confidence in the Dowager and her son
Garnache organized and performed a little comedy at Condillac a couple
of nights after his appointment as mademoiselle's gaoler. He gave an
alarm at dead midnight, and when half-clad men, followed presently
by madame and Marian, rushed into the anteroom where he stood, a very
picture of the wildest excitement, he drew their attention to two
twisted sheets, tied end to end, hanging from the w