o tell in this dark, echoy place.

He might easily have approached within touch of my sad clothing without
becoming aware of me, but M. Etienne's azure and white caught the
lantern rays a rod away. The newcomer stopped short, holding up the
light between us and his face. We could make nothing of him, save that
he was a large man, soberly clad.

"Who is it?" he demanded, his voice ringing out loud and steady. "Is it
you, Ferou?"

M. Etienne hooked his scabbard in place, and went forward into the clear
circle of light.

"No, M. de Mayenne; it is Etienne de Mar."

"Ventre bleu!" Mayenne ejaculated, changing his lantern with comical
alacrity to his left hand, and whipping out his sword. My master's came
bare, too, at that. They confronted each other in silence, till
Mayenne's ever-increasing astonishment forced the cry from him:

"How the devil come you here?"

"Evidently by way of M. Ferou's house," M. Etienne answered. Mayenne
still stared in thick amazement; after a moment my master added: "I must
in justice say that M. Ferou is not aware that I am using this passage;
he is, with madame his wife, supping with the Archbishop of Lyons."

M. Etienne leaned his shoulder against the wall, smiling pleasantly, and
waiting for the duke to make the next move. Mayenne kept a nonplussed
silence. The situation was indeed somewhat awkward. He could not come
forward without encountering an agile opponent, whose exceeding skill
with the sword was probably known to him. He could not turn tail, had
his dignity allowed the course, without exposing himself to be spitted.
He was in the predicament of the goat on the bridge. Yet was he gaping
at us less in fear, I think, than in bewilderment. This Ferou, as I
learned later, was one of his right-hand men, years-long supporter.
Mayenne had as soon expected to meet a lion in the tunnel as to meet a
foe. He cried out again upon us, with an instinctive certainty that a
great prince's question must be answered:

"How came you here?"

"I don't ask," said M. Etienne, "how it happens that M. le Duc is
walking through this rat-hole. Nor do I feel disposed to make any
explanation to him."

"Very well, then," said Mayenne; "our swords, if you are ready, will
make adequate explanation."

"Now, that is gallant of you," returned M. Etienne, "as it is evident
that the closeness of these walls will inconvenience your Grace more
than it will me."

The walls of the passage were roughly laid. M