eep your appointment."

"If I do keep it; but at present I have no such intention."

"You must keep it." It was Le Brusquet's incisive voice that cut in.

"Why? There is no reason why we should ever meet again."

"There is every reason--that is, if you take sufficient interest in the
future of Mademoiselle de Paradis."

De Lorgnac came back to his seat. I looked inquiry, and Le Brusquet
continued:

"A few things have been happening lately that make me think there is a
porridge on the boil that would be the better for our help in the
stirring. There have been little whispers afloat that Diane is
meditating a great _coup_. Certain it is, that she and that upright
judge Dom Antony de Mouchy have been much together of late. Certain it
is that this coquetting with the new faith means more than Christian
toleration; and, putting this and that together, I have got a clue.
You do not know Carloix, do you?"

"No."

"Well, Maitre Vincent Carloix was my sister's husband whilst she lived.
He is also my very good friend, and, besides that, secretary to that
most noble lord Francois de Scepeaux, Marshal de Vieilleville. Carloix
is a discreet man; but I gathered enough from him to guess that it
would be safer for a Christaudin to be a prisoner with a Barbary
corsair than be in Paris now, despite all the hobnobbing that goes on
between the Court and Vendome and the Admiral."

"But," said De Lorgnac, "how does all this concern Mademoiselle de
Paradis? Even if it did she is the Queen's ward."

"Anne d'Audeberte was a maid-of-honour, and you both know what happened
to her. My dear De Lorgnac, our friend here has told us enough for us
to know that mademoiselle is a heretic to her pretty fingertips. This
is bad--for her. Recollect that the Vidame d'Orrain is Diane's
right-hand man; and we may be certain that his attempt on Mademoiselle
de Paradis was made with the full knowledge of the Duchess. Recollect,
again, that this woman La Marmotte is the wife or mistress--I care not
which--of Orrain's own man----"

"And as the Chevalier here ran him through the ribs he may not
unnaturally desire to repay the account," put in De Lorgnac.

"It is not that," I said; "she warned me of danger in Le Jaquemart."

"Precisely. It is of that I was thinking," said Le Brusquet. "No,
Chevalier--for to us you are the Chevalier d'Orrain and not Bertrand
Broussel--no, La Marmotte means you no harm, and I would stake a
thousand pistole