of the bed, but still held the cup in his hand. After asking the
King's permission, I said, "What drinks did you place on the table,
here, sirrah?"

He looked more uncomfortable at this, but he answered boldly enough
that he had served a posset, some lemon water, and some milk.

"But orders were given only for the lemon-water and the posset," I said.

"True, your excellency," he answered. "But when I went to the pantry
hatch, to see the under-butler carry up the tray, I found that the milk
was on the tray; and I supposed that you had given another order."

"Possibly Madame de Sully," the King said, looking at me, "gave the
order to add it?"

"She would not presume to do so, sire," I answered, sternly. "Nor do I
in the least understand the matter. But at one thing we can easily
arrive. You tasted all of these, man?"

La Trape said he had.

"You drank a quantity, a substantial quantity of each--according to the
orders given to you? I persisted.

"Yes, your excellency."

But I caught a guilty look in his eyes, and in a gust of rage I cried
out that he lied. "The truth!" I thundered, in a terrible voice. "The
truth, you villain; you did not taste all?"

"I did, your excellency; as God is above, I did!" he answered. But he
had grown pale, and he looked at the King in a terrified way.

"You did?"

"Yes!"

Yet I did not believe him, and I was about to give him the lie again,
when the King intervened. "Quite so," he said to La Trape with a
smile. "You drank, my good fellow, of the posset and the lemon water,
and you tasted the milk, but you did not drink of it. Is not that the
whole truth?"

"Yes, sire," he whimpered, breaking down. "But I--I gave some to a
cat."

"And the cat is no worse?"

"No, sire."

"There, Grand Master," the King said, turning to me, "that is the
truth, I think. What do you say to it?"

"That the rest is simple," I answered, grimly. "He did not drink it
before; but he will drink it now, sire."

The King, sitting on the bed, laughed and looked at La Trape; as if his
good-nature almost led him to interpose. But after a moment's
hesitation he thought better of it, and handed me the cup. "Very
well," he said; "he is your man. Have your way with him. After all,
he should have drunk it."

"He shall drink it now, or be broken on the wheel!" I said. "Do you
hear, you?" I continued, turning to him in a white heat of rage at the
thought of his negligence, and the pri