placed in the saddle-holsters, brought it upstairs, played it, and lost
it; and when he issued from the room to fly, it was too late: he
was placed in arrest at the bottom of my staircase, as you were upon
entering your own home.

'Even when he came in under the charge of the soldiery sent to arrest
him, the old General, who was waiting, was overjoyed to see him, and
flung himself into the lad's arms, and embraced him: it was said,
for the first time in many years. "He is here, gentlemen," he sobbed
out,--"thank God he is not guilty of the robbery!" and then sank back in
a chair in a burst of emotion; painful, it was said by those present,
to witness on the part of a man so brave, and known to be so cold and
stern.

'"Robbery!" said the young man. "I swear before Heaven I am guilty of
none!" and a scene of almost touching reconciliation passed between
them, before the unhappy young man was led from the guard-house into the
prison which he was destined never to quit.

'That night the Duke looked over the papers which Geldern had brought to
him. It was at a very early stage of the perusal, no doubt, that he gave
orders for your arrest; for you were taken at midnight, Magny at ten
o'clock; after which time the old Baron de Magny had seen his Highness,
protesting of his grandson's innocence, and the Prince had received him
most graciously and kindly. His Highness said he had no doubt the
young man was innocent; his birth and his blood rendered such a crime
impossible; but suspicion was too strong against him: he was known to
have been that day closeted with the Jew; to have received a very large
sum of money which he squandered at play, and of which the Hebrew had,
doubtless, been the lender,--to have despatched his servant after him,
who inquired the hour of the Jew's departure, lay in wait for him, and
rifled him. Suspicion was so strong against the Chevalier, that common
justice required his arrest; and, meanwhile, until he cleared himself,
he should be kept in not dishonourable durance, and every regard had
for his name, and the services of his honourable grandfather. With
this assurance, and with a warm grasp of the hand, the Prince left old
General de Magny that night; and the veteran retired to rest almost
consoled, and confident in Maxime's eventual and immediate release.

'But in the morning, before daybreak, the Prince, who had been reading
papers all night, wildly called to the page, who slept in the next
ro