not conform to our religion, why do
they not worship God in their own way at home? No one will disturb them
as long as they don't insist on public worship."

"At first that was all they wanted, monseigneur; and I am convinced that
if people had not been dragged to confession and communion by force, it
would have been easy to keep them in that submissive frame of mind from
which they were only driven by despair; but at present they say that it
is not enough to pray at home, they want to be married, to have their
children baptised and instructed, and to die and be buried according to
the ordinances of their own faith."

"Where may you have seen anyone who was ever made to communicate by
force?" asked Chamillard.

D'Aygaliers looked at the minister in surprise, thinking he spoke in
joke; but seeing he was quite serious, he answered:

"Alas, monseigneur, my late father and my mother, who is still living,
are both instances of people subjected to this indignity."

"Are you, then, not a Catholic?" asked Chamillard.

"No, monseigneur," replied d'Aygaliers.

"Then how did you manage to return to France?"

"To speak the truth, sir, I only came back to help my mother to escape;
but she never could make up her mind to leave France, as such a step was
surrounded by many difficulties which she feared she could never
surmount. So she asked my other relations to persuade me to remain. I
yielded to their importunities on condition that they would never
interfere with my beliefs. To accomplish this end they got a priest with
whom they were intimate to say that I had changed my views once more, and
I did not contradict the report. It was a great sin on my part, and I
deeply repent it. I must add, however, that whenever anyone has asked me
the question your Excellency asked me just now I have always given the
same reply."

The minister did not seem to take the baron's frankness in bad part; only
he remarked, when dismissing him, that he hoped he would find out some
way of ridding the kingdom of those who refused to think in religious
matters as His Majesty commanded.

D'Aygaliers replied that it was a problem to which he had given much
thought, but without ever being able to find a solution, but that he
would think about it more earnestly in future. He then withdrew.

Some days later, Chamillard sent ward to d'Aygaliers that the king would
graciously give him a farewell audience. The baron relates what took
place at t