that I came on behalf of the Comte de Mar.

"That is right; you are to enter," the captain of the guard replied at
once. "But you are not the Comte de Mar yourself? Nay, no need to ask,"
he added with a laugh. "A pretty count you would make."

"I am his servant," I said. "I am charged with a message for
mademoiselle."

"Well, my orders were to admit the count, but I suppose you may go in.
If mademoiselle cannot land her lover it were cruel to deny her the
consolation of a message."

A laugh went up and one of the gamblers looked round to say:

"It has gone hard with mademoiselle lately, sangdieu! Here's the Comte
de Mar has not set foot in the house for a month or more, and M. Paul
for a quarter of a year is vanished off the face of the earth. It seemed
as if she must take the little cheese or nothing. But now things are
looking up with her. M. Paul has walked calmly in, and here is a
messenger at least from the other."

"But M. Paul has walked calmly out again," a third soldier took up the
tale. "He did not stay very long, for all mademoiselle's graces."

"Then I warrant 'twas mademoiselle sent him off with a flea in his
ear," another cried. "She looks higher than a bastard, even Le Balafre's
own."

"She had better take care how she flouts Paul de Lorraine," came the
retort, but the captain bade me march along. I followed him into the
house, leaving Jean to be edified, no doubt, by a whole history, false
and true, concerning Mlle. de Montluc. We bow down before the lofty of
the earth, we underlings, but behind their backs there is none with
whose names we make so free. And there we have the advantage of our
masters; for they know little of our private matters while we know
everything of theirs.

In the hall the captain turned me over to a lackey who conducted me
through a couple of antechambers to a curtained doorway whence issued a
merry confusion of voices and laughter. He passed in while I remained to
undergo the scrutiny of the pair of flunkies whose repose we had
invaded. But in a moment my guide appeared again, lifting the curtain
for me to enter.

The big room was ablaze with candles set in mirrored sconces along the
walls, set also in silver candelabra on the tables. There was a crowd of
people in the place, a hundred it seemed to my dazzled eyes; grouped,
most of them, about the tables set up and down, either taking hands
themselves at cards or dice or betting on those who did. Bluff soldiers
in