s to the young man, whom he calls his son, there is
the charge of a murderous assault upon me, the commandant of
Louisbourg. This must be investigated. But in the present state of
mind of those present, I despair of conducting any important trial,
and I therefore declare this court adjourned until further notice.
Guards, remove these two prisoners, and this time place them in
separate cells, where they can no longer have communication with each
other."

To this no one raised any objection. As commandant, Cazeneau had the
right to adjourn; and, of course, until some actual decision had been
reached, he could dispose of them as he saw fit. They could only
bring a moral pressure to bear, at least for the present. Father and
son were therefore taken back to their prison, and Cazeneau quitted
the court, to take counsel with himself as to his future course. He
hoped yet to have the game in his own hands. He saw that until
Florian was gone it would be difficult, but after that he might
manage to control the opinions of the majority of the officers.
Florian, however, could not go until the next ship should arrive, and
he now awaited its coming with curiosity and eagerness.

He did not have to wait very long.

The court broke up, and the officers talked over the matter among
themselves. Florian was now quite communicative, and told them all
about the early career of Montresor, and his misfortunes. Cazeneau
was the evil cause of all; and Florian was bitter and unsparing in
his denunciations of this man's villany. He took care to remind them
that Mimi, though the wife of Claude, was still held by him under the
pretence that she was his ward, and that Cazeneau, being the creature
of the defunct ministry of the late Fleury, could not be kept long in
his present office by the hostile ministry which had succeeded. He
also assured them that the Montresors had friends among those now in
power, and that the old count was anxiously awaiting the arrival of
the next ship, in the confident hope that justice would at last be
done to him.

By these words, and by this information about things unknown to
Cazeneau, Florian deepened the impression which had been made by the
events of the trial. All were desirous that the Montresors should at
last escape from the machinations of Cazeneau. All looked for the
speedy recall and disgrace of Cazeneau himself, and therefore no one
was inclined to sacrifice his feelings or convictions for the purpose