Ursula de Vesc given over to the mercies of such a man as
Tristan, found it in his heart to ask, "How?" The answer came
promptly, but with grave deliberation.

"By the King's mercy."

"What mercy had the King on Molembrais? Will he be more merciful to a
woman?"

"Then by his gratitude. Stephen, for her sake we must win the King's
gratitude together."

"I do not understand."

"Behind the girl, but joined with her, stands----"

"The Dauphin? My God, Uncle, not that way."

La Mothe's voice was strange even to his own ears, so harsh and dry was
it, the voice of age rather than of youth, and, indeed, he felt as if
in this last hour he had suddenly grown so old that the world was a
weariness.

"There were three in this plot," answered Commines, unmoved from his
slow gravity, "Hugues, the Dauphin, and Mademoiselle de Vesc. Hugues
is dead, but two still remain."

"His own son, his own, his one son? No, no, it cannot be, it cannot."

"I grant that it is incredible, but Saxe leaves no loophole for doubt."

"I do not mean that. I meant it could not be that the King--I cannot
say it; his one son."

"He has no son but France. Do you remember what I told you that night
in my room? Better the one should suffer than the many. And now there
is a double reason, a double incentive to us both. Mademoiselle de
Vesc's life hangs upon it. Follow the chain of reasoning, and, for
God's sake, Stephen, follow closely. There is more than the life of a
girl in all this. Jean Saxe cannot be suppressed even if we dared
attempt it; Francois Villon, the King's jackal, who holds his life by a
thread, knows everything. Of all men he dares not keep silence, of all
men he would not keep silence if he dared, scum that he is. Within two
days the King will know all Saxe's accusations, and if we do not act
for ourselves another--Tristan or another--will come in our place. We
will have destroyed ourselves for nothing, and there will be no hope
for the girl, none. Can you not guess Tristan's methods with women?
But, Stephen, if we act, if we return to Valmy and say, 'Sire, we have
done our duty to the nation, with heavy hearts and in bitter sorrow we
have done it: even though we have laid love itself on the altar of
sacrifice, we have done it, give us this one life in return'--can the
King refuse? Remember, if it is not we it will be another, and if we
have no claim to ask, there will be no life given. Nor can we have any
cla