or it from the top of the wall, he throws me another; that other
ball contains a letter. Thus we have exchanged ideas and no one has seen
us do it."

"The devil it does! The devil it does!" said La Ramee, scratching his
head; "you are in the wrong to tell me that, my lord. I shall have to
watch the men who pick up balls."

The duke smiled.

"But," resumed La Ramee, "that is only a way of corresponding."

"And that is a great deal, it seems to me."

"But not enough."

"Pardon me; for instance, I say to my friends, Be on a certain day, on a
certain hour, at the other side of the moat with two horses."

"Well, what then?" La Ramee began to be uneasy; "unless the horses have
wings to mount the ramparts and come and fetch you."

"That's not needed. I have," replied the duke, "a way of descending from
the ramparts."

"What?"

"A rope ladder."

"Yes, but," answered La Ramee, trying to laugh, "a ladder of ropes can't
be sent around a ball, like a letter."

"No, but it may be sent in something else."

"In something else--in something else? In what?"

"In a pate, for example."

"In a pate?" said La Ramee.

"Yes. Let us suppose one thing," replied the duke "let us suppose, for
instance, that my maitre d'hotel, Noirmont, has purchased the shop of
Pere Marteau----"

"Well?" said La Ramee, shuddering.

"Well, La Ramee, who is a gourmand, sees his pates, thinks them more
attractive than those of Pere Marteau and proposes to me that I shall
try them. I consent on condition that La Ramee tries them with me. That
we may be more at our ease, La Ramee removes the guards, keeping only
Grimaud to wait on us. Grimaud is the man whom a friend has sent to
second me in everything. The moment for my escape is fixed--seven
o'clock. Well, at a few minutes to seven----"

"At a few minutes to seven?" cried La Ramee, cold sweat upon his brow.

"At a few minutes to seven," returned the duke (suiting the action to
the words), "I raise the crust of the pie; I find in it two poniards,
a ladder of rope, and a gag. I point one of the poniards at La Ramee's
breast and I say to him, 'My friend, I am sorry for it, but if thou
stirrest, if thou utterest one cry, thou art a dead man!'"

The duke, in pronouncing these words, suited, as we have said, the
action to the words. He was standing near the officer and he directed
the point of the poniard in such a manner, close to La Ramee's heart,
that there could be no doubt in the mind of t