and
seemed to wish to be certain that he was not being made an object of
ridicule.

"And why do you not wish to appear in the matter?" asked he at last, in
a suspicious tone of voice. "Do you foresee some risk, and want me to
bear the brunt?"

Mascarin shrugged his shoulders.

"First," said he, "I am not a traitor, as you know well enough; and
then the interests of all of us depend on your safety. Can one of us be
compromised without endangering his associates? You know that this
is impossible. All you have to do is to point out where the traces
commence; others will follow them at their own risk, and all you will
have to do will be to look calmly on."

"But--"

Mascarin lost his patience, and with a deep frown, replied,--

"That is enough. We require no more argument, I am the master, and it is
for you to obey."

When Mascarin adopted this tone, resistance was out of the question; and
as he invariably made all yield to him, it was best to obey with a good
grace, and Catenac relapsed into silence, completely subjugated and very
much puzzled.

"Sit down at my desk," continued Mascarin, "and take careful notes of
what I now say. Success is, as I have told you, inevitable, but I must
be ably backed. All now depends upon your exactitude in obeying my
orders; one false step may ruin us all. You have heard this, and cannot
say that you are not fully warned."

CHAPTER XX.

A SUDDEN CHECK.

Catenac seated himself at the writing-table without a word, concealing
his anger and jealousy beneath a careless smile. Mascarin was no longer
the plotter consulting with his confederates; he was the master issuing
his orders to his subordinates. He had now taken from a box some of
those square pieces of pasteboard, which he spent his time in reading
over.

"Try and not miss one word of what I am saying," remarked he, bending
his keen glance upon Paul; then, turning to Catenac, he continued, "Can
you persuade the Duke de Champdoce and Perpignan to start for Vendome on
Saturday?"

"Perhaps I may be able to do so."

"I want a Yes or No. Can you or can you not make these people go there?"

"Well, yes, then."

"Very well. Then, on going to Vendome, you will stop at the Hotel de
Porte."

"Hotel de Porte," repeated Catenac, as he made a note of the name.

"Upon the day of your arrival at Vendome," continued Mascarin, "you
could do very little. Your time would be taken up in resting after your
journey, and perhaps yo