es they took the letters addressed to Lesperon which that
poor gentleman had entrusted to me on the night of his death; and among
these there was one from the Duc d'Orleans himself, which would alone
have sufficed to have hanged a regiment. Besides these, they took
Monsieur de Marsac's letter of two days ago, and the locket containing
the picture of Mademoiselle de Marsac.

The papers and the portrait they delivered to the Captain, who took them
with the same air of deprecation tainted with disgust that coloured all
his actions in connection with my arrest.

To this same repugnance for his catchpoll work do I owe it that at the
moment of setting out he offered to let me ride without the annoyance of
an escort if I would pass him my parole not to attempt an escape.

We were standing, then, in the hall of the chateau. His men were already
in the courtyard, and there were only present Monsieur le Vicomte and
Anatole--the latter reflecting the look of sorrow that haunted his
master's face. The Captain's generosity was certainly leading him beyond
the bounds of his authority, and it touched me.

"Monsieur is very generous," said I.

He shrugged his shoulders impatiently.

"Cap de Dieu!" he cried--he had a way of swearing that reminded me of my
friend Cazalet. "It is no generosity, monsieur. It is a desire to make
this obscene work more congenial to the spirit of a gentleman, which,
devil take me, I cannot stifle, not for the King himself. And then,
Monsieur de Lesperon, are we not fellow-countrymen? Are we not Gascons
both? Pardieu, there is no more respected a name in the whole of Gascony
than that of Lesperon, and that you belong to so honourable a family is
alone more than sufficient to warrant such slight favours as it may be
in my power to show you."

"You have my parole that I will attempt no escape, Monsieur le
Capitaine," I answered, bowing may acknowledgment of his compliments.

"I am Mironsac de Castelroux, of Chateau Rouge in Gascony," he informed
me, returning my bow. My faith, had he not made a pretty soldier he
would have made an admirable master of deportment.

My leave-taking of Monsieur de Lavedan was brief but cordial; apologetic
on my part, intensely sympathetic on his. And so I went out alone with
Castelroux upon the road to Toulouse, his men being ordered to follow in
half an hour's time and to travel at their leisure.

As we cantered along--Castelroux and I--we talked of many things, and
I fo