er of the King with dispatches to the King? With M. Jerome de
Greville to stand between you and harm it was dangerous enough; now it
is a matter of hanging."

"But M. de Greville is not dead," they protested together, "we left him
a few minutes since alive and well." I seized upon the vacillation
manifest in their voices and proceeded with confidence.

"Then how think you I came along this road? Think you M. Jerome would
let me go so easily? You know his temper too well. Does he change his
mind like a woman? I turned about to take the nearer path, and see,
his blood is not yet dry upon my sword."

"We do not believe you. It is some trick."

"If you will but move this way and give me clear passage to Versailles,
I will go and say nothing. You can then return and minister to your
master."

"Nay, we'll hold the road an hour, which gives him time to come up. An
hour gone and you may pursue your journey."

"Then, forsooth, one of you can make his peace with God. I'll shoot
your stoutest bully and try blades with the other."

I raised the pistol which had been concealed unknown to Jerome, and to
say the truth, it looked formidable enough all a-glitter beneath the
rising moon, though I doubted much if I could strike my mark.

As I started resolutely onward I warned them:

"Pull your nags off in yonder level space, leave the left fork free, or
by the gods, you burly black-haired rascal, I'll take the first shot at
you, you make the fairest target. Way there, in the King's name!"

As is ever so with low-born churls, and no gentleman to command, each
looked to the other for some act of heroism, and each sought his own
safety.

They stood their ground only an instant, then pulled aside as I had
bidden them. As soon as I passed them a decent distance as if I had no
fear, I put spurs to my good steed, and, breathing more freely than I
had done for many days, heard the merry pounding of his hoofs upon the
open way to my mission's end.

CHAPTER XVIII

SERIGNY'S DEPARTURE

The clocks were striking, one after the other in monotonous imitative
fashion, the hour of nine when I delivered my horse to a sleepy groom
at the little tavern just outside the Versailles gate.

Serigny was already in his rooms, intent on some business, and opened
his door himself. There was no need for concealing his gratification
and the intense impatience he felt to know results, nor did he make any
attempt at concealment. O