The sun had just risen when Maitre Bertram, accompanied by four men
in the attire of peasants, went down to the port. Two of them wore
steel caps, and had the appearance of discharged soldiers. The
other two looked like fresh countrymen, and wore the low caps in
use by the peasantry on their heads, carrying steel caps slung by
cords from their shoulder. All four had swords stuck into their
leathern belts. Similar groups might have been seen in hundreds,
all over France, making their way to join the forces of the
contending parties.
[Illustration: Philip and his followers embarking.]
The craft upon which the trader led them was a small one, of four
or five tons burden, manned by three men and a boy.
"You understand, Johan, if you meet with no interruption, you will
land your passengers at the mouth of the Seudre; but if you should
come across any of the craft that have been hovering about the
coast, and find that they are too fast for you, put them ashore
wherever they may direct. If you are too hotly chased to escape,
after landing them, you had best also disembark; and make your way
back by land, as best you can, leaving them to do what they will
with the boat. As like as not they would cut your throats, did they
take you; and if not, would want to know whom you had landed, and
other matters.
"I do not want to lose the craft, which has done me good service in
her time, and is a handy little coaster; but I would rather lose
it, than that you should fall into the hands of the Bordeaux boats
and get into trouble. The fact that you made for shore, to land
passengers, would be sufficient to show that those passengers were
of some importance.
"Now, good luck to you, Master Philip. I trust to see you back here
again, before long."
They kept straight out from La Rochelle to the Isle of Oleron, and
held along close to its shore, lest boats coming out from the
Charente might overhaul them. From the southern end of the island,
it was only a run of some eight miles into the mouth of the Seudre.
A brisk wind had blown, and they made the forty miles' voyage in
seven hours. They could see several white sails far to the south,
as they ran in; but had met with nothing to disquiet them, on the
way. They were rowed ashore in the little boat the craft carried,
and landed among some sand hills; among which they at once struck
off, and walked briskly for a mile inland, so as to avoid any
questionings, from persons they might meet, as to where they had
come from.
Jacques and his brother carried bags slung over their shoulders,
and in these was a store of food with which the merchant had
provided them, and two or three flasks of good wine; so that they
might make a day's journey, at least, without having to stop to
purchase food.
It was two o'clock when they landed, and they had therefore some
five hours of daylight; and before this had faded they had passed
Royan, situated on the Gironde. They did not approach the town but,
keeping behind it, came down upon the road running along the shore,
three miles beyond it; and walked along it until about ten o'clock,
by which time all were thoroughly tired with their unaccustomed
exercise. Leaving the road, they found a sheltered spot among the
sand hills, ate a hearty meal, and then lay down to sleep.
They were afoot again, at daylight. The country was sparsely
populated. They passed through a few small villages, but no place
of any importance until, late in the afternoon, they approached
Blaye, after a long day's tramp. As they thought that here they
might learn something, of the movements of the large body of
Catholic troops Philip had heard of as guarding the passages of the
Dordogne, they determined to enter the town.
They passed through the gates, half an hour before they were
closed, and entered a small cabaret. Here, calling for some bread
and common wine, they sat down in a corner, and listened to the
talk of the men who were drinking there. It was all about the
movements of troops, and the scraps of news that had come in from
all quarters.
"I don't know who they can be all arming against," one said. "The
Queen of Navarre has no troops and, even if a few hundreds of
Huguenots joined her, what could she do? As to Conde and the
Admiral, they have been hunted all over France, ever since they
left Noyers. They say they hadn't fifty men with them. It seems to
me they are making a great fuss about nothing."
"I have just heard a report," a man who had, two or three minutes
before, entered the room said, "to the effect that they arrived
four days since at La Rochelle, with some five or six hundred men,
who joined them on the way."
An exclamation of surprise broke from his hearers.
"Then we shall have trouble," one exclaimed. "La Rochelle is a hard
nut to crack, in itself; and if the prince and the Admiral have got
in, the Huguenots from all the country round will rally there, and
may give a good deal of trouble, after all. What can the Catholic
lords have been about, that they managed to let them slip through
their hands in that way? They must have seen, for some time, that
they were making for the one place where they would be safe; unless
indeed they were making down for Navarre. That would account for
the way in which all the bridges and fords across the rivers are
being watched."
"I expect they are watching both ways," another said. "These
Huguenots always seem to know what is going on, and it is likely
enough that, while our people all thought that Conde was making for
Germany, there was not a Huguenot throughout France who did not
know he was coming west to La Rochelle; and if so, they will be
moving in all directions to join him there, and that is why
D'Escars has got such a force at all the bridges. I heard, from a
man who came in yesterday, that the Lot is watched just as sharply,
from the Garonne through Cahors right on to Espalion; and he had
heard that at Agen, and along the Aveyron, the troops hold the
bridges and fords as if they expected an enemy.
"No doubt, as soon as they hear that Conde and his party are in La
Rochelle, they will close round them and catch them in a trap. That
will be as good as any other way, and save much trouble. It is a
long chase to catch a pack of wolves, scattered all over the
country; but one can make short work of them all, when you get them
penned up in an inclosure."
Philip cast a warning glance at his companions, for he felt so
inclined to retort, himself, that he feared they might give way to
a similar impulse. Jacques and his brother, however, were munching
their bread stolidly; while Pierre was looking at the speaker, with
a face so full of admiring assent to his remark, that Philip had to
struggle hard to repress a laugh.
"It must be owned," another of the group said, "that these wolves
bite hard. I was in Paris last year, with the Count de Caussac.
Well, we laughed when we saw the three parties of white wolves ride
out from Saint Denis; but I tell you, there was no laughing when
they got among us. We were in the Constable's troop; and though, as
far as I know, we were all pretty stout men-at-arms, and were four
to one against them at least, we had little to boast of when the
fight was over.
"At any rate, I got a mark of the wolves' teeth, which has put a
stop to my hunting, as you see," and he held out his arm. "I left
my right hand on the field of battle. It was in the fight round
Conde. A young Huguenot--for he was smooth faced, and but a
youth--shred it off with a sweeping backhanded blow, as if it had
been a twig. So there is no more wolf hunting for me; but even if I
had my right hand back again, I should not care for any more such
rough sport as that."
Philip congratulated himself that he was sitting with his back to
the speaker, for he remembered the incident well, and it was his
arm that had struck the blow. His visor had been up; but as his
face was shaded by the helmet and cheek pieces, and the man could
have obtained but a passing glance at him, he felt sure, on
reflection, that he would not be recognized.
"Ah, well, we shall do better this time," the first speaker said.
"We are better prepared than we were then and, except La Rochelle
and four or five small towns, every place in France is in our
hands. I expect the next news will be that the prince and Coligny,
and the others, have taken ship for England. Then, when that
pestilent Queen of Navarre and her boy are in our hands, the whole
thing will be over; and the last edict will be carried out, and
each Huguenot will have the choice between the mass and the
gallows.
"Well, I will have one more stoup of wine, and then I will be off,
for we march at daybreak."
"How many ride out with you?" the man who had lost his hand asked.
"A hundred. The town has voted the funds, and we march to join
D'Escars tomorrow. I believe we are not going to Perigueux, but are
to be stationed somewhere on the lower Dordogne, to prevent any of
the Huguenots from the south making their way towards La Rochelle."
The frequenters of the cabaret presently dropped off. Jacques, who
acted as spokesman, had on entering asked the landlord if they
could sleep there; and he said there was plenty of good hay, in the
loft over the stable. As his duties were now over, he came across
to them.
"Which way are you going, lads?" he asked. "Are you bound, like the
others, to join one of the lords on the Dordogne?"
"No," Jacques said, "we are bound for Agen. We come from near
there."
"I thought your tongue had a smack of Gascon in it."
"Yes, we come from across the border. We are tired of hard work in
the vineyards, and are going to take up with our own trade; for my
comrade, here, and I served under De Brissac, in Italy. We would
rather enlist under our own lord than under a stranger."
"Yes, that I can understand," the landlord said; "but you will find
it no easy work travelling, at present; when every bridge and ford
across the rivers is watched by armed men, and all who pass are
questioned, sharply, as to their business."
"Well, if they won't let us pass," Jacques said carelessly, "we
must join some leader here; though I should like to have had a few
days at home, first."
"Your best plan would have been to have gone by boat to Bordeaux.
There has been a strong wind from the west, for the last three
days, and it would save you many a mile of weary tramping."
"That it would," Jacques said; "but could one get a passage?"
"There will be no difficulty about that. There is not a day passes,
now that the wind is fair, that three or four boats do not go off
to Bordeaux, with produce from the farms and vineyards. Of course,
you wouldn't get up without paying; but I suppose you are not
without something in your pockets.
"There is a cousin of mine, a farmer, who is starting in the
morning, and has chartered a boat to carry his produce. If I say a
word to him, I have no doubt he would give the four of you a
passage, for a crown."
"What do you say, comrades?" Jacques said. "It would save us some
thirty or forty miles walking, and perhaps some expense for ferrys;
to say nought of trouble with the troops, who are apt enough,
moreover, to search the pockets of those who pass."
"I think it would be a good plan," his brother replied; and the
other two also assented.
"Very well then," the landlord said; "my cousin will be here in the
morning, for he is going to leave two or three barrels of last
year's vintage with me. By the way, I daresay he will be easy with
you as to the passage money, if you agree to help him carry up his
barrels to the magazine of the merchant he deals with, and aid him
with his other goods. It will save him from having to employ men
there, and those porters of Bordeaux know how to charge pretty high
for their services.
"I will make you up a basket for your journey. Shall I say a bottle
of wine each, and some bread, and a couple of dozen eggs, which I
will get boiled hard for you?"
"That will do well, landlord," Jacques said, "and we thank you, for
having put us in the way of saving our legs tomorrow. What time do
you think your cousin will be in?"
"He will have his carts at the gates by the time they open them. He
is not one to waste time; besides, every minute is of importance
for, with this wind, he may well hope to arrive at Bordeaux in time
to get his cargo discharged by nightfall."
"That was a lucky stroke, indeed," Philip said, when they had
gained the loft; and the landlord, having hung up a lantern, had
left them alone. "Half our difficulties will be over, when we get
to Bordeaux. I had begun to fear, from what we heard of the watch
they are keeping at the bridges, that we should have found it a
very difficult matter crossing the rivers. Once out of Bordeaux the
Ciron is the only stream we shall have to cross, and that is but a
small river, and is not likely to be watched; for no one making his
way from the south to La Rochelle would keep to the west of the
Garonne."
They were downstairs by six, had a meal of bread and spiced wine;
and soon after seven there was a rumble of carts outside, and two
of them stopped at the cabaret. They were laden principally with
barrels of wine; but in one the farmer's wife was sitting,
surrounded by baskets of eggs, fowls, and ducks, and several casks
of butter.
Three of the casks of wine were taken down, and carried into the
house. The landlord had a chat apart with his cousin, who then came
forward to where they were sitting at a table.
"My cousin tells me you want to go to Bordeaux, and are willing to
help load my boat, and to carry the barrels to the warehouse at
Bordeaux, in return for a passage. Well, I agree to the bargain.
The warehouse is not very far from the wharf, but the men there
charge an extortionate price."
"We will do your work," Jacques said.
"But how am I to know that, when you land, you will not slip away
without fulfilling your share of the bargain?" the farmer asked.
"You look honest fellows, but soldiers are not gentry to be always
depended upon. I mean no offence, but business is business, you
know."
Jacques put his hand in his pocket.
"Here is a crown," he said. "I will hand it over to you, as
earnest. If we do not do your work, you can keep that to pay the
hire of the men to carry your barrels."
"That is fair enough," the farmer said, pocketing the coin. "Now,
let us go without delay."
The landlord had already been paid for the supper of the night
before, the lodging, and the contents of the basket; and without
more words, they set out with the cart to the riverside. Here the
boat was in waiting, and they at once set to work, with the drivers
of the two carts, to transfer their contents to it. As they were as
anxious as the farmer that no time should be lost, they worked
hard, and in a quarter of an hour all was on board.
They took their places in the bow; the farmer, his wife, and the
two boatmen being separated from them by the pile of barrels. The
sail was at once hoisted and, as the west wind was still blowing
strongly, Blaye was soon left behind.
"This is better than walking, by a long way," Philip said. "We are
out of practice, and my feet are tender from the tramp from the
coast. It would have taken us two days to get to Bordeaux, even if
we had no trouble in crossing the Dordogne, and every hour is of
importance. I hope we may get out of the city before the gates
close, then we shall be able to push on all night."
They passed several islands on their way and, after four hours'
run, saw the walls and spires of Bourg, where the Dordogne unites
with the Garonne to form the great estuary known as the Gironde.
At three o'clock they were alongside the wharves of Bordeaux. They
stowed away their steel caps and swords, and at once prepared to
carry up the barrels.
"Do you make an excuse to move off, master," Pierre said; "we three
will soon get these barrels into the store, and it is no fitting
work for you."
"Honest work is fitting work, Pierre, and methinks that my
shoulders are stronger than yours. I have had my sail, and I am
going to pay for it by my share of the work."
The store was nearer than Philip had expected to find it. A wide
road ran along by the river bank, and upon the other side of this
was a line of low warehouses, all occupied by the wine merchants;
who purchased the produce of their vineyards from the growers and,
after keeping it until it matured, supplied France and foreign
countries with it.
Several ships lay by the wharves. Some were bound for England,
others for Holland. Some were freighted for the northern ports of
France, and some, of smaller size, for Paris itself. Several men
came up to offer their services, as soon as the boat was alongside;
and these, when they saw that the owner of the wines had brought
men with them, who would transport the wine to the warehouses,
indulged in some rough jeers before moving away.
In the first place Philip and his companions, aided by the boatmen,
carried the cargo ashore; while the farmer crossed the road to the
merchant with whom he dealt. His store was not more than fifty
yards from the place of landing and, as soon as he returned, the
work began. In an hour and a half the whole of the barrels were
carried over. The farmer's wife had seen to the carriage of her
portion of the cargo to the inn her husband frequented on these
occasions. It was close to the marketplace, and there she would, as
soon as the market opened in the morning, dispose of them; and by
nine o'clock they would be on board again. When the last barrel was
carried into the store, the farmer handed Jacques the crown he had
taken, as pledge for the performance of the bargain.
"You are smart fellows," he said, "and nimble. The same number of
these towns fellows would have taken double the time that you have
done; and I must have had six, at least, to have got the wine
safely stored before nightfall."
"We are well contented with our bargain," Jacques said. "It is
better to work hard for two hours, than to walk for two days. So
good day to you, master, for we shall get on our way at once, and
do not want to spend our money in the wine shops here."
Possessing themselves of their steel caps and swords again, they
made their way through the busy town to the south gates; through
which a stream of peasants, with carts, horses, and donkeys was
passing out, having disposed of the produce they had brought in.
"Where are you bound to, you two with steel caps?" the officer at
the gate asked.
Jacques and his brother paused, while Philip and Pierre, who had
stowed their caps in the bundles they carried, went on without
stopping; as it had previously been agreed that, in case of one or
more of his followers being stopped, Philip should continue his
way; as it was urgent that he should not suffer anything to delay
him in the delivery of his message. He waited, however, a quarter
of a mile from the gates, and the two men then rejoined him.
"We had no difficulty, sir," Jacques said. "We said that we once
had served, and were going to do so again, having grown sick
working in the vineyards; and that we had come up from Blaye with a
cargo of wine, and had taken our discharge, and were now bound for
Agen to see our families, before joining the force that the
Viscount de Rouillac, under whom our father held a farm, would no
doubt be putting in the field. That was sufficient, and he let us
go on without further question; except that he said that we should
have done better by going up to Saintes, or Cognac, and taking
service with the force there, instead of making this long journey
up to Agen."
They walked steadily on until, when it was nearly midnight, they
arrived at a small village on the banks of the Ciron. As the
inhabitants would have been in bed, hours before, they made up
their minds not to attempt to find a shelter there; but to cross by
the bridge, and sleep in the first clump of trees they came to. As
they approached the bridge, however, they saw a fire burning in the
centre of the road. Two men were sitting beside it, and several
others lay round.
"Soldiers!" Philip said. "It would not do to try to cross, at this
time of night. We will retire beyond the village, and wait until
morning."
They turned off into a vineyard, as soon as they were outside the
village; and lay down among the vines that had, some weeks before,
been cleared of their grapes.
"How far does this river run before it becomes fordable, Jacques?"
"I do not know, sir. There are hills run along, in a line with the
Garonne, some ten or twelve miles back; and I should say that, when
we get there, we shall certainly find points at which we might
cross this stream."
"That would waste nearly a day, and time is too precious for that.
We will go straight on in the morning. Our story has been good
enough, thus far. There is no reason why it should not carry us
through."
Accordingly, as soon as the sun was up they entered the village,
and went into a cabaret and called for wine and bread.
"You are travelling early," the landlord said.
"Yes, we have a long tramp before us, so we thought we had better
perform part of it before breakfast."
"These are busy times. Folks are passing through, one way or the
other, all day. It is not for us innkeepers to grumble, but peace
and quiet are all we want, about here. These constant wars and
troubles are our ruin. The growers are all afraid to send their
wine to market; for many of these armed bands are no better than
brigands, and think much more of robbing, and plundering, than they
do of fighting. I suppose, by your looks, you are going to take
service with some lord or other?"
Jacques repeated the usual tale.
"Well, well, every man to his liking," the landlord said; "but for
my part, I can't think what Frenchmen want to fly at each others'
throats for. We have got thirty soldiers quartered in the village
now, though what they are doing here is more than I can imagine. We
shall be glad when they are gone; for they are a rough lot, and
their leader gives himself as many airs as if he had conquered the
place. I believe they belong to a force that is lying at Bazas,
some five leagues away. One would think that the Queen of Navarre
had got a big Huguenot army together, and was marching north."
"I should not think she could raise an army," Philip said
carelessly; "and if she is wise, she will stop quietly down in
Bearn."
"There is a rumour here," the landlord said, "that she is at Nerac,
with only a small party of gentlemen; and that she is on her way to
Paris, to assure the king that she has no part in these troubles. I
don't know whether that has anything to do with the troops; who, as
I hear, are swarming all over the country. They say that there are
fifteen hundred men at Agen."
"I am afraid we shall have trouble at this bridge," Philip said, as
the landlord left them. "They seem to be a rough lot, and this
truculent lieutenant may not be satisfied with a story that his
betters would accept, without question. We will ask our host if
there is any place where the river can be forded, without going too
far up. We can all swim and, as the river is no great width, we can
make a shift to get across, even if the ford is a bad one."
The landlord presently returned. Jacques put the question:
"By your account of those fellows at the bridge, we might have
trouble with them?"
"As like as not," the landlord said. "They worry and vex all who
come past, insult quiet people; and have seized several, who have
happened to have no papers of domicile about them, and sent them
off to Bazas. They killed a man who resented their rough usage, two
days ago. There has been a talk, in the village, of sending a
complaint of their conduct to the officer at Bazas; but perhaps he
might do nothing and, if he didn't, it would only make it the worse
for us, here."
"We don't want troubles," Jacques said, "and therefore, if we could
pass the river without having to make too wide a detour, we would
do so. Do you know of any fords?"
"Yes, there are two or three places where it can be crossed, when
the water is low; and as there has been no rain, for some weeks
past, you will be able to cross now, easily enough. There is one
four miles higher up. You will see a clump of willow trees, on this
side of the river; and there is a pile of stones, some five feet
high, on the other. You enter the river close by the trees, and
then keep straight for the pile of stones, which is some fifty
yards higher up, for the ford crosses the river at an angle."
"Well, we will take that way, then," Jacques said. "It is better to
lose an hour, than to have trouble here."
An hour later, the party arrived at the ford and crossed it without
difficulty, the water being little above their waists. Some miles
farther, they saw ahead of them the towers of Bazas; and struck off
from the road they were traversing, to pass to the east of it. They
presently came upon a wide road.
"This must be the road to Nerac," Philip said. "There are neither
rivers nor places of any size to be passed, now. The only danger is
from bodies of horse watching the road."
"And if I mistake not, sir, there is one of them approaching now,"
Pierre said, pointing ahead.
As he spoke, the heads and shoulders of a body of horsemen were
seen, as they rode up from a dip the road made into a hollow, half
a mile away.
Philip glanced round. The country was flat, and it was too late to
think of concealment.
"We will go quietly on," he said. "We must hope they will not
interfere with us."
The troop consisted of some twenty men, two gentlemen riding at
their head; and as they came up, they checked their horses.
"Whither come you, and where are you bound, my men?"
"We come from Bordeaux, sir, and we are bound for Agen," Jacques
replied. "My comrade and I served under De Brissac, when we were
mere lads, and we have a fancy to try the old trade again; and our
young cousins also want to try their metal."
"You are a Gascon, by your tongue?"
"That is so," Jacques said; "and it is for that reason we are going
south. We would rather fight in a company of our own people than
with strangers."
"Whom have you been serving at Bordeaux? I am from the city, and
know most of those in and round it."
"We have not been working there, sir. We come from near Blaye, and
made the journey thence to Bordeaux by a boat with our master,
Jacques Blazin, who was bringing to Bordeaux a cargo of his wines."
"Why waste time, Raoul?" the other gentleman said, impatiently.
"What matter if they came from Bordeaux or Blaye, these are not of
those whom we are here to arrest. Anyhow they are not Huguenot
lords, but look what they say they are; but whether men-at-arms, or
peasants, they concern us not. Maybe, while we are questioning
them, a party of those we are in search of may be traversing some
other road. Let us be riding forward."
He roughly pricked his horse with his spur, and the troop rode on.
"I think you are wrong to be so impatient, Louis," the one who had
acted as interrogator said. "Anyone could see, with half an eye,
that those two fellows were, as they said, old men-at-arms. There
is a straightness and a stiffness about men who have been under the
hands of the drill sergeant there is no mistaking; and I could
swear that fellow is a Gascon, as he said.
"But I am not so sure as to one of the young fellows with them. I
was about to question him, when you broke in. He did not look to me
like a young peasant, and I should not be at all surprised if he is
some Huguenot gentleman, making his way to Nerac with three of his
followers."
"Well, if it was so, Raoul, he will not swell the queen's army to
any dangerous extent. I am glad that you didn't ask him any
questions; for if he declared himself a Huguenot--and to do them
justice, the Huguenots will never deny their faith--I suppose it
would have been our duty to have fallen upon them and slaughtered
them; and though I am willing enough to draw, when numbers are
nearly equal and it is a fair fight, I will take no part in the
slaughter of men when we are twenty to one against them. Three or
four men, more or less, at Nerac will make no difference. The Queen
of Navarre has but some fifty men in all and, whenever the orders
come to seize her and her son, it may be done easily enough,
whether she has fifty or a hundred with her.
"War is all well enough, Raoul, but the slaughtering of solitary
men is not an occupation that suits me. I am a good Catholic, I
hope, but I abhor these massacres of defenceless people, only
because they want to worship in their own way. I look to the pope
as the head of my religion on earth, but why should I treat as a
mortal enemy a man who does not recognize the pope's authority?"
"That is dangerous doctrine, Louis."
"Yes, but why should it be? You and I were both at the colloquy at
Poissy, and we saw that the Cardinal of Lorraine, and all the
bishops, failed totally to answer the arguments of the Huguenot
minister Beza. The matter was utterly beyond me and, had Beza
argued ten times as strongly as he did, it would in no way have
shaken my faith; but I contend that if Lorraine himself and the
bishops could not show this man to be wrong, there can be nothing
in these people's interpretation of Scripture that can be so
terrible as to deserve death. If they become dangerous to the
state, I am ready to fight against them, as against any other
enemies of France; but I can see nothing that can excuse the
persecutions and massacres. And if these men be enemies of France,
of which as yet no proof has been shown, it is because they have
been driven to it, by persecution."
"Louis, my cousin," the other said, "it is dangerous, indeed, in
these days to form an opinion. You must remember our greatest
statesman, L'Hopital, has fallen into some disgrace, and has been
deprived of rank and dignity, because he has been an advocate of
toleration."
"I know that, Raoul; but I also know there are numbers of our
nobles and gentlemen who, although staunch Catholics, are sickened
at seeing the king acting as the tool of Philip of Spain and the
pope; and who shudder, as I do, at beholding France stained with
blood from end to end, simply because people choose to worship God
in their own way. You must remember that these people are not the
ignorant scum of our towns, but that among them are a large number
of our best and wisest heads. I shall fight no less staunchly, when
fighting has to be done, because I am convinced that it is all
wrong. If they are in arms against the king, I must be in arms for
him; but I hope none the less that, when arms are laid down, there
will be a cessation of persecution--at any rate, a cessation of
massacre. It is bringing disgrace on us in the eyes of all Europe,
and I trust that there may be a league made among us to withstand
the Guises; and to insist that there shall be, in France, no
repetition of the atrocities by which Philip of Spain, and the Duke
of Alva, are trying to stamp out the reformed religion in the
Netherlands."
"Well, I hope at any rate, Louis," his cousin said impatiently,
"that you will keep these opinions to yourself; for assuredly they
will bring you into disgrace, and may even cost you your
possessions and your head, if they are uttered in the presence of
any friend of the Guises."