a minute before.

"The ring!" he cried, "let me see the ring! Whose is it?"

He held up my hand to this chance light and we looked at the ring. It
was a heavy gold signet, with one curious characteristic: it had two
facets. On one of these was engraved the letter "H," and above it a
crown. On the other was an eagle with outstretched wings.

Pavannes let my hand drop and leaned against the wall in sudden
despair. "It is the Duke of Guise's," he muttered. "It is the eagle
of Lorraine."

"Ha!" said I softly, seeing light. The Duke was the idol then, as
later, of the Parisian populace, and I understood now why the citizen
soldiers had shown me such respect. They had taken me for the Duke's
envoy and confidant.

But I saw no farther. Pavannes did, and murmured bitterly, "We may say
our prayers, we Huguenots. That is our death-warrant. To-morrow night
there will not be one left in Paris, lad. Guise has his father's death
to avenge, and these cursed Parisians will do his bidding like the
wolves they are! The Baron de Rosny warned us of this, word for word.
I would to Heaven we had taken his advice!"

"Stay!" I cried--he was going too fast for me--"stay!" His monstrous
conception, though it marched some way with my own suspicions, outran
them far! I saw no sufficient grounds for it. "The King--the king
would not permit such a thing, M. de Pavannes," I argued.

"Boy, you are blind!" he rejoined impatiently, for now he saw all and
I nothing. "Yonder was the Duke of Anjou's captain--Monsieur's
officer, the follower of France's brother, mark you! And HE--he obeyed
the Duke's ring! The Duke has a free hand to-night, and he hates us.
And the river. Why are we not to cross the river? The King indeed!
The King has undone us. He has sold us to his brother and the Guises.
VA CHASSER L'IDOLE" for the second time I heard the quaint phrase,
which I learned afterwards was an anagram of the King's name, Charles
de Valois, used by the Protestants as a password--"VA CHASSER L'IDOLE
has betrayed us! I remember the very words he used to the Admiral,
'Now we have got you here we shall not let you go so easily!' Oh, the
traitor! The wretched traitor!"

He leaned against the wall overcome by the horror of the conviction
which had burst upon him, and unnerved by the imminence of the peril.
At all times he was an unready man, I fancy, more fit, courage apart,
for the college than the field; and now he gave way to de