She beheld at last in the flesh the gentleman who had played so notorious a part, ten years ago, in that scandal connected with the Duchesse de Bourgogne, of which she never tired of reciting the details. And think that she had sat at table with him day by day and been unconscious of that momentous fact! Such, I make no doubt, was what passed through her mind at the moment, and, to judge from her expression, I should say that the excitement of beholding the Magnificent Bardelys had for the nonce eclipsed beholding even her husband's condition and the imminent sequestration of Lavedan.
"My business is with you, Chevalier," said I. "It relates to your mission here."His jaw fell. "You wish - ?"
"To desire you to withdraw your amen and quit Lavedan at once, abandoning the execution of your warrant."He flashed me a look of impotent hate. "You know of the existence of my warrant, Monsieur de Bardelys, and you must therefore realize that a royal mandate alone can exempt me from delivering Monsieur de Lavedan to the Keeper of the Seals.""My only warrant," I answered, somewhat baffled, but far from abandoning hope, "is my word. You shall say to the Garde des Sceaux that you have done this upon the authority of the Marquis de Bardelys, and you have my promise that His Majesty shall confirm my action."In saying that I said too much, as I was quickly to realize.
"His Majesty will confirm it, monsieur?" he said interrogatively, and he shook his head. "That is a risk I dare not run. My warrant sets me under imperative obligations which I must discharge - you will see the justice of what I state."His tone was all humility, all subservience, nevertheless it was firm to the point of being hard. But my last card, the card upon which I was depending, was yet to be played.
"Will you do me the honour to step aside with me, Chevalier?" Icommanded rather than besought.
"At your service, sir," said he; and I drew him out of earshot of those others.
"Now, Saint-Eustache, we can talk," said I, with an abrupt change of manner from the coldly arrogant to the coldly menacing. "Imarvel greatly at your temerity in pursuing this Iscariot business after learning who I am, at Toulouse two nights ago."He clenched his hands, and his weak face hardened.
"I would beg you to consider your expressions, monsieur, and to control them," said he in a thick voice.
I vouchsafed him a stare of freezing amazement. "You will no doubt remember in what capacity I find you employed. Nay, keep your hands still, Saint-Eustache. I don't fight catchpolls, and if you give me trouble my men are yonder." And I jerked my thumb over my shoulder.
"And now to business. I am not minded to talk all day. I was saying that I marvel at your temerity, and more particularly at your having laid information against Monsieur de Lavedan, and having come here to arrest him, knowing, as you must know, that I am interested in the Vicomte.""I have heard of that interest, monsieur," said he, with a sneer for which I could have struck him.
"This act of yours," I pursued, ignoring his interpolation, "savours very much of flying in the face of Destiny. It almost seems to me as if you were defying me."His lip trembled, and his eyes shunned my glance.
"Indeed - indeed, monsieur - " he was protesting, when I cut him short.
"You cannot be so great a fool but that you must realize that if Itell the King what I know of you, you will be stripped of your ill-gotten gains, and broken on the wheel for a double traitor - a betrayer of your fellow-rebels.""But you will not do that, monsieur?" he cried. "It would be unworthy in you."At that I laughed in his face. "Heart of God! Are you to be what you please, and do you still expect that men shall be nice in dealing with you? I would do this thing, and, by my faith, Monsieur de Eustache, I will do it, if you compel me!"He reddened and moved his foot uneasily. Perhaps I did not take the best way with him, after all. I might have confined myself to sowing fear in his heart; that alone might have had the effect Idesired; by visiting upon him at the same time the insults I could not repress, I may have aroused his resistance, and excited his desire above all else to thwart me.
"What do you want of me?" he demanded, with a sudden arrogance which almost cast mine into the shade.
"I want you," said I, deeming the time ripe to make a plain tale of it, "to withdraw your men, and to ride back to Toulouse without Monsieur de Lavedan dan, there to confess to the Keeper of the Seals that your suspicions were unfounded, and that you have culled evidence that the Vicomte has had no relations with Monsieur the King's brother."He looked at me in amazement - amusedly, almost.
"A likely story that to bear to the astute gentlemen in Toulouse,"said he.
"Aye, ma foi, a most likely story," said I. "When they come to consider the profit that you are losing by not apprehending the Vicomte, and can think of none that you are making, they will have little difficulty in believing you.""But what of this evidence you refer to?""You have, I take it, discovered no incriminating evidence - no documents that will tell against the Vicomte?""No, monsieur, it is true that I have not - "He stopped and bit his lip, my smile making him aware of his indiscretion.
"Very well, then, you must invent some evidence to prove that he was in no way, associated with the rebellion.""Monsieur de Bardelys," said he very insolently, "we waste time in idle words. If you think that I will imperil my neck for the sake of serving you or the Vicomte, you are most prodigiously at fault.""I have never thought so. But I have thought that you might be induced to imperil your neck - as you have, it - for its own sake, and to the end that you might save it."He moved away. "Monsieur, you talk in vain. You have no royal warrant to supersede mine. Do what you will when you come to Toulouse," and he smiled darkly. "Meanwhile, the Vicomte goes with me.""You have no evidence against him!" I cried, scarce believing that he would dare to defy me and that I had failed.
