th Goliath of Guise. Your father, unfortunately
for him a good Catholic, is furrier to the two queens. He is constantly
supplying them with garments. Get him to send you on some errand to the
court. You will excite no suspicion, and you cannot compromise Queen
Catherine in any way. All our leaders would lose their heads if a single
imprudent act allowed their connivance with the queen-mother to be seen.
Where a great lord, if discovered, would give the alarm and destroy our
chances, an insignificant man like you will pass unnoticed. See! The
Guises keep the town so full of spies that we have only the river where
we can talk without fear. You are now, my son, like a sentinel who must
die at his post. Remember this: if you are discovered, we shall all
abandon you; we shall even cast, if necessary, opprobrium and infamy
upon you. We shall say that you are a creature of the Guises, made to
play this part to ruin us. You see therefore that we ask of you a total
sacrifice."

"If you perish," said the Prince de Conde, "I pledge my honor as a noble
that your family shall be sacred for the house of Navarre; I will bear
it on my heart and serve it in all things."

"Those words, my prince, suffice," replied Christophe, without
reflecting that the conspirator was a Gascon. "We live in times when
each man, prince or burgher, must do his duty."

"There speaks the true Huguenot. If all our men were like that," said
La Renaudie, laying his hand on Christophe's shoulder, "we should be
conquerors to-morrow."

"Young man," resumed the prince, "I desire to show you that if Chaudieu
preaches, if the nobleman goes armed, the prince fights. Therefore, in
this hot game all stakes are played."

"Now listen to me," said La Renaudie. "I will not give you the papers
until you reach Beaugency; for they must not be risked during the whole
of your journey. You will find me waiting for you there on the wharf; my
face, voice, and clothes will be so changed you cannot recognize me, but
I shall say to you, 'Are you a _guepin_?' and you will answer, 'Ready to
serve.' As to the performance of your mission, these are the means:
You will find a horse at the 'Pinte Fleurie,' close to Saint-Germain
l'Auxerrois. You will there ask for Jean le Breton, who will take you
to the stable and give you one of my ponies which is known to do thirty
leagues in eight hours. Leave by the gate of Bussy. Breton has a pass
for me; use it yourself, and make your way by ski