e as to my
past life."

"For the past three years, my lord, you have lived on this island,
remaining hidden to every one, and causing to be spread by a filibuster
and others in your pay the strangest stories concerning your house, in
order to keep the curious away."

"I do not understand this at all," thought Croustillac. "Blue Beard--no,
the widow, that is to say--no, the duchess or rather the wife of the man
who is dead, who is a widower--in fact, the wife of no matter whom, is
not, then, behind the best of them with her three oddities. For I have
seen with my own eyes her strange familiarity with them. I have
heard--come, come, if this lasts but a little longer I shall become mad;
I am beginning to feel stupid and to see an endless succession of Roman
candles in my head!"

CHAPTER XIX.

THE SURPRISE.

Rutler continued: "The maneuvers of your emissaries were crowned with
perfect success, my lord, and it was due to the merest chance that your
existence was revealed to my master, some two months since, and in order
to inform him that without your knowledge, or without your full consent,
they would make, my lord, a dangerous instrument of you."

"Of me? an instrument of me? and what kind of an instrument, sir?"

"Your grace knows that as well as I do; the policy of the cabinet at
Versailles and of the papal court at Saint-Germain recoils before no
means; it matters little to them that civil war shall lay waste an
unhappy country provided their plans succeed. I have no need to say
more, my lord."

"Yes, sir, yes. I desire that you tell me everything; I would see to
what point your credulity has been abused. Explain, sir."

"The proof that my credulity has not been abused, my lord, is that my
mission has for its end the ruin of the projects of an emissary from
France, who, with or without the co-operation of your grace, may arrive
at any moment at this island."

"I give you my word of honor, sir, that I am ignorant of the arrival of
this French emissary."

"I must believe you, my lord. However, certain rumors have caused the
king to think that your grace, forgetting his old resentment against
James Stuart, your uncle, had written to this dethroned king to offer
him his services."

"James Stuart, being dethroned," said Croustillac, with an accent full
of dignity, "changes entirely the face of things, and I should have been
able to condescend in regard to my uncle to proceedings which my pride
would