a longing came over him to see his little
pepper-box of a tower in the Quercy, and to be once more the Sieur de
Besme instead of the King of Folly.

"_Eh bien_, Pompon!" he said, addressing the ape, "the kingdom of fools
is too wide a realm for one man to rule. I shall abdicate, I think.
What say you? The Roman went back to his plough; Besme will return to
his pears."

The ape simply blinked at him from his seat on the table, and, carrying
out his humour, Le Brusquet continued:

"You do not approve--eh? What, then, is left for me?" But as he spoke
his eyes fell on the ring, and bending over it he continued:

"Yes; this is where I have failed--save for this I should be off
to-morrow--but to go with failure behind me----"

He stopped, for someone knocked at his door, and to Le Brusquet's
"Enter!" De Lorgnac stepped in. His face was pale and grave, his boots
and clothes splashed with mud, and there were red spots on the
whiteness of his ruffles.

For one moment Le Brusquet stared at his friend, and then sprang up.

"What has happened?" he cried.

"Everything--and for the worst. They are taken."

"Taken! You mean----"

"I mean Mademoiselle de Paradis and Orrain, and others besides. La
Valentinois was too quick, and struck at once."

Le Brusquet swore under his breath, and Lorgnac went on:

"It happened in this way. On leaving Orrain this evening he told me
that De Ganache had been arrested."

"De Ganache arrested too!"

"Yes; at sundown near the wicket gate. The full significance of the
news did not strike me at first, for there were other reasons, which we
know, that might have led to his arrest. On my return to the Louvre,
however, I heard sufficient to tell me that La Valentinois and her
party meant to act without delay."

"And never a word came to my ears, and I thought them sharp."

Lorgnac took no notice of the interruption, but continued:

"On learning this I hastened after Orrain, hoping to be in time to
overtake him and save our friends; but it was not to be." And then he
went on to tell him what is already known. When he had done Le
Brusquet said nothing, but remained in a moody silence, staring in
front of him, and De Lorgnac turned from him to the window and looked
out upon the night. After a little he turned again, and putting his
hand on Le Brusquet's shoulder, said:

"It looks, old friend, as if we were beaten."

Le Brusquet's eyes flashed. "Not yet! This is the last g