ur adversary,
of whose name I am ignorant, has borne himself in a manner to merit
my esteem; and that, as your cousin will of course act for you, I
shall be happy to place my services at his disposal."

"Let us get beyond the gates," Raoul said abruptly, turning on his
heel, and retracing his steps up the lane to the main street.

"I thank you, sir, for offering to stand by one of whose very name
you are ignorant," Philip said as, accompanied by Monsieur
D'Estanges, he followed the others. "It is, however, right that you
should know it. It is Philip Fletcher. On my father's side I am
English, on my mother's I am of noble French blood, being cousin to
Francois de Laville, whose mother and mine were daughters of the
Count de Moulins."

"Two distinguished families of Poitou," Monsieur D'Estanges said,
courteously. "It needed not that, to tell me that you were of good
blood. I regret much that this encounter is going to take place.
Monsieur Raoul de Fontaine was in the wrong, in so rudely hailing
you, and I cannot blame you for taking it up sharply; although,
seeing your age and his, and that he is a good swordsman, it might
have been more prudent to have overlooked his manner.

"Unless, indeed," and he smiled, "Monsieur Raoul was right, and
that you are engaged on some weighty matter here, and preferred to
run the risk of getting yourself killed rather than have it
inquired into. The Countess of Laville and her son are both staunch
Huguenots, and you may well be on business here that you would not
care to have investigated.

"You have not asked my name, sir. It is Charles D'Estanges. I am a
cousin of the Duc de Guise, and am naturally of the court party;
but I can esteem a brave enemy, and regret to see one engaged in an
encounter in which he must needs be overmatched."

"I am a fair swordsman, sir," Philip said; "though my arm may lack
somewhat of the strength it will have, a few years later. But had
it been otherwise, I should have still taken the course I have. I
do not say your conjecture is a correct one, but at any rate I
would prefer the most unequal fight to being seized and questioned.
One can but be killed once, and it were better that it should be by
a thrust in the open air than a long imprisonment, ending perhaps
with death at the stake."

Monsieur D'Estanges said no more. In spite of his relationship with
the Guises he, like many other French Catholic nobles, disapproved
of the persecutions of the H