main your debtor till the end of my life. All I can say at
present is that I hope that, as soon as you can obtain leave, you
will come as a most honoured guest to my chateau. There you will
see me under happier circumstances. The life of a country seigneur
is but a poor preparation for existence in this court, where,
although there is no longer the open licentiousness that prevailed
in the king's younger days, there is yet, I believe, an equal
amount of profligacy, though it has been sternly discountenanced
since Madame Maintenon obtained an absolute, and I may say a
well-used, influence over His Majesty."

"I shall be happy, indeed, to pay you a visit, Baron, if my
military duties will permit my absenting myself, for a time, from
Paris. All I know of France is its capital, and nothing would give
me greater pleasure than to have the opportunity of seeing its
country life, in so pleasant a manner."

"Our pleasure would be no less than your own, Monsieur Kennedy.

"There is one thing I must warn you about, and that is, you must
be careful for a time not to go out after dark. De Tulle has an
evil reputation, and is vindictive as well as unscrupulous.
Doubtless, he has agents here who will, by this time, have
discovered who it was that brought his daring scheme to naught;
and it is, to my mind, more than probable that he will endeavour
to be revenged."

"I shall be on my guard," Desmond said quietly.

"You must be careful, indeed," the baron said. "Against open
violence you can well defend yourself, but against a blow from
behind with a dagger, skill and courage are of little avail. When
you go out after dark, I pray you let your army servant follow
closely behind you, and see that his sword is loose in its
scabbard."

Desmond nodded.

"Believe me, I will take every precaution. It is not likely that
there will long be need for it, for none can doubt that military
operations will soon begin on a large scale, and we are not
likely, if that is the case, to be kept in garrison in Paris."

When Desmond arrived that evening at the barracks, he found that
the story of the rescue of Mademoiselle de Pointdexter was already
known, and also that the Vicomte de Tulle had been the abductor,
and had, in consequence, been banished from court. The baron had
indeed related the circumstances to some of his intimate friends,
but the story had varied greatly as it spread, and it had come to
be reported that an officer had brought a