uis found him ridiculous. He knew pretentiousness for the
mask of worthlessness and weakness. And here he beheld pretentiousness
incarnate. It was to be read in that arrogant poise of the head, that
scowling brow, the inflexion of that reverberating voice. Even more
difficult than it is for a man to be a hero to his valet--who has
witnessed the dispersal of the parts that make up the imposing whole--is
it for a man to be a hero to the student of Man who has witnessed the
same in a different sense.

Andre-Louis stood forward boldly--impudently, thought M. de Lesdiguieres.

"You are His Majesty's Lieutenant here in Brittany," he said--and it
almost seemed to the august lord of life and death that this fellow had
the incredible effrontery to address him as one man speaking to another.
"You are the dispenser of the King's high justice in this province."

Surprise spread on that handsome, sallow face under the heavily powdered
wig.

"Is your business concerned with this infernal insubordination of the
canaille?" he asked.

"It is not, monsieur."

The black eyebrows rose. "Then what the devil do you mean by intruding
upon me at a time when all my attention is being claimed by the obvious
urgency of this disgraceful affair?"

"The affair that brings me is no less disgraceful and no less urgent."

"It will have to wait!" thundered the great man in a passion, and
tossing back a cloud of lace from his hand, he reached for the little
silver bell upon his table.

"A moment, monsieur!" Andre-Louis' tone was peremptory. M. de
Lesdiguieres checked in sheer amazement at its impudence. "I can state
it very briefly..."

"Haven't I said already..."

"And when you have heard it," Andre-Louis went on, relentlessly,
interrupting the interruption, "you will agree with me as to its
character."

M. de Lesdiguieres considered him very sternly.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Andre-Louis Moreau."

"Well, Andre-Louis Moreau, if you can state your plea briefly, I will
hear you. But I warn you that I shall be very angry if you fail to
justify the impertinence of this insistence at so inopportune a moment."

"You shall be the judge of that, monsieur," said Andre-Louis, and he
proceeded at once to state his case, beginning with the shooting of
Mabey, and passing thence to the killing of M. de Vilmorin. But he
withheld until the end the name of the great gentleman against whom he
demanded justice, persuaded that did he introduce