nd to make captive
those who differed from him politically. He threatened Guingamp, which
was held for the King, and made a sally into Leon, carrying away the
daughter of the Lady of Coadelan, a wealthy heiress, who was only
about eight or nine years of age. This occurrence Villemarque has
related for us in Breton verse, assuring us that it was 'recovered' by
the Comte de Kergariou, a friend of his. Fontenelle is supposed to
have encountered the little heiress plucking flowers in a wayside
ditch.

"Tell me, little one," said he, "for whom do you pluck these
flowers?"

"For my foster-brother, whom I love. But I am afraid, for I know that
Fontenelle is near."

"Ha, then, so you know this terrible Fontenelle, my child?"

"No, sir, I do not know him, but I have heard tell of him. I have
heard folk say that he is a very wicked man and that he carries away
young ladies."

"Yes," replied Fontenelle, with a laugh, "and, above all, heiresses."

He took the child in his arms and swung her on to the crupper of his
saddle. Then, dashing the spurs into his charger's flanks, he set off
at a gallop for Saint-Malo, where he placed the little heiress in a
convent, with the object of marrying her when she had arrived at the
age of fourteen.

Years afterward Fontenelle and the heiress, who was now his wife, went
to live at their manor of Coadelan. They had a little child beautiful
as the day, who greatly resembled his father. One day a letter arrived
for the Seigneur, calling upon him to betake himself to Paris at once.
His wife was inconsolable.

"Do not set forth alone for Paris, I pray you," she said, "for if you
do I shall instantly follow you. Remain at home, I beg of you, and I
will send a messenger in your stead. In the name of God, do not go,
husband, for if you do you will never return."

But Fontenelle disregarded his wife's entreaties, and, begging her to
take good care of their son during his absence, set forth on his
journey to the capital. In due time he arrived in Paris and stood
before the King and Queen. He greeted them courteously, but they
looked coldly on him, and the King told him bluntly that he should not
return to Coadelan, adding: "There are sufficient chains in my palace
to restrain you."

On hearing this Fontenelle called his little page and begged him to
return at once to his mistress and tell her to discard her finery,
because she would soon be a widow, and to bring him back a coarse
shirt and a