He made himself master of all the correspondence, conceived the plan to
come here himself and intends to carry off the true lord's bride.
Indeed, in private, he has acknowledged it all to me, and, failing to
corrupt me to his service, last night set an assassin to kill me."

His listener, with folded arms and attentive mien, kept his eyes fixed
steadily upon the narrator, as if he doubted the evidence of his
senses. Without, the marshals had taken their places in the lists and
another stentorian dissonance greeted these officers of the field from
the good-humored gathering, which, basking in the anticipation of the
feast they knew would follow the pageantry, clapped their hands and
flung up their caps at the least provocation for rejoicing. Upon the
two jesters this scene of jubilation was lost, Caillette merely bending
closer to the other, with:

"But why have you not denounced him to the king?"

"Because of my foolhardiness in tacitly accepting at first this
free-booter as my master."

Caillette shot a keen glance at the other and smiled. His eyes said:
"Foolhardiness! Was it not, rather, some other emotion? Had not the
princess leaned more than graciously toward her betrothed and--"

"I thought him but some flimsy adventurer," went on the duke's fool,
hastily, "and told myself I would see the play played out, holding the
key to the situation, and--"

"You underestimated him?"

"Exactly. His plans were cunningly laid, and now--who am I that the
king should listen to me? At best, if I denounce him, they would
probably consider it a bit of pleasantry, or--madness."

"Yes," reluctantly assented Caillette, Triboulet's words, "a fool in
love with the princess!" recurring to him; "it would be undoubtedly
even as you say."

The duke's jester looked down thoughtfully. He had only half-expressed
to the French _plaisant_ the doubts which had assailed him since his
interview with Louis of Hochfels. Who could read the minds of
monarchs? The motives actuating them? Should he be able to convince
Francis of the deception practised upon him, was it altogether unlikely
that the king might not be brought to condone the offense for the sake
of an alliance with this bastard of Pfalz-Urfeld and the other
unconquerable free barons of the Austrian border against Charles
himself? Had not Francis in the past, albeit openly friendly with the
emperor, secretly courted the favor of the powerful German nobles in
Charles'