with a most excellent good-will and relish.

"You liar, you cheat, you thief!" I snarled like any cross-grained
mongrel. "The King shall hear of this, you knave! By God, he shall!"

They dragged me from him at last--those lapdogs that attended him--and
with much rough handling they sent me sprawling among the sawdust on
the floor. It is more than likely that but for Castelroux's intervention
they had made short work of me there and then.

But with a bunch of Mordieus, Sangdieus, and Po' Cap de Dieus, the
little Gascon flung himself before my prostrate figure, and bade them in
the King's name, and at their peril, to stand back.

Chatellerault, sorely shaken, his face purple, and with blood streaming
from his nostrils, had sunk into a chair. He rose now, and his first
words were incoherent, raging gasps.

"What is your name, sir?" he bellowed at last, addressing the Captain.

"Amedee de Mironsac de Castelroux, of Chateau Rouge in Gascony,"
answered my captor, with a grand manner and a flourish, and added, "Your
servant."

"What authority have you to allow your prisoners this degree of
freedom?"

"I do not need authority, monsieur," replied the Gascon.

"Do you not?" blazed the Count. "We shall see. Wait until I am in
Toulouse, my malapert friend."

Castelroux drew himself up, straight as a rapier, his face slightly
flushed and his glance angry, yet he had the presence of mind to
restrain himself, partly at least.

"I have my orders from the Keeper of the Seals, to effect the
apprehension of Monsieur de Lesperon; and to deliver him up, alive or
dead, at Toulouse. So that I do this, the manner of it is my own affair,
and who presumes to criticize my methods censoriously impugns my honour
and affronts me. And who affronts me, monsieur, be he whosoever he may
be, renders me satisfaction. I beg that you will bear that circumstance
in mind."

His moustaches bristled as he spoke, and altogether his air was very
fierce and truculent. For a moment I trembled for him. But the Count
evidently thought better of it than to provoke a quarrel, particularly
one in which he would be manifestly in the wrong, King's Commissioner
though he might be. There was an exchange of questionable compliments
betwixt the officer and the Count, whereafter, to avoid further
unpleasantness, Castelroux conducted me to a private room, where we took
our meal in gloomy silence.

It was not until an hour later, when we were again in the saddle