. de Montluc loved her
enemies.

"You are a good girl, Lorance," Mayenne said.

"Will you let the boy go now, Cousin Charles?" she asked.

"Yes, I will let your boy go," he made answer. "But if I do this for
you, I shall expect you henceforth to do my bidding."

"You have called me a good girl, cousin."

"Aye, so you are. And there is small need to look so Friday-faced about
it. If I have denied you one lover, I will give you another just as
good."

"Am I Friday-faced?" she said, summoning up a smile. "Then my looks
belie me. For since you free this poor boy whom I was like to have
ruined I take a grateful and happy heart to bed."

"Aye, and you must stay happy. Pardieu, what does it matter whether your
husband have yellow hair or brown? My brother Henri was for getting
himself into a monastery because he could not have his Margot. Yet in
less than a year he is as merry as a fiddler with the Duchesse
Katharine."

"You have made me happy, to-night at least, monsieur," she answered
gently, if not merrily.

"It is the most foolish act of my life," Mayenne answered. "But it is
for you, Lorance. If ill comes to me by it, yours is the credit."

"You can swear him to silence, monsieur," she cried quickly.

"What use? He would not keep silence."

"He will if I ask it," she returned, flinging me a look of bright
confidence that made the blood dance in my veins. But Mayenne laughed.

"When you have lived in the world as long as I have, you will not so
flatter yourself, Lorance."

Thus it happened that I was not bound to silence concerning what I had
seen and heard in the house of Lorraine.

Mayenne took out his dagger.

"What I do I do thoroughly. I said I'd set you free. Free you shall be."

Mademoiselle sprang forward with pleading hand.

"Let me cut the cords, Cousin Charles."

He recoiled a bare second, the habit of a lifetime prompting him against
the putting of a weapon in any one's hand. Then, ashamed of the
suspicion, which indeed was not of her, he yielded the knife and she cut
my bonds. She looked straight into my eyes, with a glance earnest,
beseeching, loving; I could not begin to read all she meant by it. The
next moment she was making her deep curtsey before the duke.

"Monsieur, I shall never cease to love you for this. And now I thank you
for your long patience, and bid you good night."

With a bare inclination of the head to Lucas, she turned to go. But
Mayenne bade her pause.

"Do I