quely.

"Permit me to put you right," I replied: "the Sieur Le Blanc!"

He looked at Cordel, who said, "No one bears that name now. His father
was outlawed, and his estate confiscated. The castle belongs to the
king; this fellow has no right here, and," viciously, "I doubt if he has
a right to his life. In any case, as the king's representative, I order
you to arrest him!"

"You will be responsible?" asked the officer, who seemed suddenly to
have become somewhat timorous. "You will give me an order in writing?"

"I tell you," exclaimed Cordel furiously, taken aback by this question,
"that I am carrying out the wishes of Monseigneur. If you desire to make
an enemy of him, you must."

"But Monseigneur is not the king," said the perplexed officer.

"You must choose between them," I remarked, rather enjoying his dilemma.
"This man appears to shelter himself under the authority of Monseigneur;
I am here at the express command of his majesty, to whom, as you wear
his uniform, I suppose you are responsible. However, the business is
none of mine, but when the king calls you to account, remember that I
gave you warning."

"A plague on you both!" cried the officer, now thoroughly exasperated.
"To offend Monseigneur will be bad; to offend the king may be worse. Do
I understand, monsieur, that you are here by the king's wish?"

"I am acting on his instructions. Of course, if you force me to
accompany you, I must submit, but it will be at your own peril."

He drew Cordel aside, and the two conversed earnestly together for
several minutes. Then, turning to me, he said, "I am going away,
monsieur; when I return it will be with his majesty's order in my
pocket."

"You will find me always ready to obey his majesty's commands," I
answered, and at that the whole body rode off, Cordel turning round to
give me a glance of bitter and vindictive hatred.

"The lawyer's first move!" observed Jacques, who had been standing by my
side during the parley, "what will be the second?"

"To seek the advice of his patron. To-morrow most likely he will set out
for Paris. It was bound to come to this, but I am rather sorry.
Monseigneur has immense influence over the king. I fear that he and the
Queen-Mother will prove more than a match for the Admiral. However, we
will go on hoping until the worst happens."

The next evening Jacques returned with the information that the lawyer
had departed. Having expected this move I was not surprised, bu