to say to your godfather, M. de
Kercadiou. I shall appeal to him for justice."

"Against M. de La Tour d'Azyr?" Andre-Louis raised his eyebrows.

"Why not?"

"My dear ingenuous Philippe, dog doesn't eat dog."

"You are unjust to your godfather. He is a humane man."

"Oh, as humane as you please. But this isn't a question of humanity.
It's a question of game-laws."

M. de Vilmorin tossed his long arms to Heaven in disgust. He was a tall,
slender young gentleman, a year or two younger than Andre-Louis. He was
very soberly dressed in black, as became a seminarist, with white bands
at wrists and throat and silver buckles to his shoes. His neatly clubbed
brown hair was innocent of powder.

"You talk like a lawyer," he exploded.

"Naturally. But don't waste anger on me on that account. Tell me what
you want me to do."

"I want you to come to M. de Kercadiou with me, and to use your
influence to obtain justice. I suppose I am asking too much."

"My dear Philippe, I exist to serve you. I warn you that it is a futile
quest; but give me leave to finish my breakfast, and I am at your
orders."

M. de Vilmorin dropped into a winged armchair by the well-swept hearth,
on which a piled-up fire of pine logs was burning cheerily. And whilst
he waited now he gave his friend the latest news of the events in
Rennes. Young, ardent, enthusiastic, and inspired by Utopian ideals, he
passionately denounced the rebellious attitude of the privileged.

Andre-Louis, already fully aware of the trend of feeling in the ranks of
an order in whose deliberations he took part as the representative of
a nobleman, was not at all surprised by what he heard. M. de Vilmorin
found it exasperating that his friend should apparently decline to share
his own indignation.

"Don't you see what it means?" he cried. "The nobles, by disobeying the
King, are striking at the very foundations of the throne. Don't they
perceive that their very existence depends upon it; that if the throne
falls over, it is they who stand nearest to it who will be crushed?
Don't they see that?"

"Evidently not. They are just governing classes, and I never heard of
governing classes that had eyes for anything but their own profit."

"That is our grievance. That is what we are going to change."

"You are going to abolish governing classes? An interesting experiment.
I believe it was the original plan of creation, and it might have
succeeded but for Cain."

"What we are go