moment winks at you to let you
know it is make-believe, the general-duke's dignity melted into a smile.

"After all," he said, "it's as well to lay an anchor to windward."

XXX

_My young lord settles scores with two foes at once._

Occupied in wrangling with the grooms over the merits of our several
stables, with the soldiers over politics and the armies, I awaited in a
shady corner of the court the conclusion of formalities. I had just
declared that King Henry would be in Paris within a week, and was on the
point of getting my crown cracked for it, when, as if for the very
purpose--save the mark!--of rescuing me, entered from the street Lucas.
He approached rapidly, eyes straight in front of him, heeding us no
whit; but all the loungers turned to stare at him. Even then he paid no
heed, passing us without a glance. But the tall d'Auvray bespoke him.

"M. de Lorraine! Any news?"

He started and turned to us in half-absent surprise, as if he had not
known of our presence nor, indeed, quite realized it now. He was both
pale and rumpled, like one who has not closed an eye all night.

"Any news here?" he made Norman answer.

"No, monsieur, unless his Grace has information. We have heard nothing."

"And the woman?"

"Sticks to it mademoiselle told her never a word."

Lucas stood still, his eyes travelling dully over the group of us, as if
he expected somewhere to find help. At the same time he was not in the
least thinking of us. He looked straight at me for a full minute before
he awoke to my identity.

"You!"

"Yes, M. de Lorraine," I said, with all the respectfulness I could
muster, which may not have been much. Considering our parting, I was
ready for any violence. But after the first moment of startlement he
regarded me in a singularly lack-lustre way, while he inquired without
apparent resentment how I came there.

"With M. le Duc de St. Quentin," I grinned at him. "We and M. de Mayenne
are friends now."

I could not rouse him even to curiosity, it seemed. But he turned
abruptly to the men with more life than he had yet shown.

"You've not told this fellow?"

"We understand our orders, monsieur," d'Auvray answered, a bit huffed.

Now this was eminently the place for me to hold my tongue, but of course
I could not.

"They had no need to tell me, M. de Lorraine. I know quite well what the
trouble is. I know rather more about it than you do yourself."

He confronted me now with all the f