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"Much sooner, sire," Tavannes answered grimly "If you have any orders

in the monkish direction--no? Then your Majestyto wonder what is keeping your

Majesty fro you, sire"

"By the Lord!" Charles exclailed with horror in

his tone, "if they kneas in our minds they'd mark us more! Yet,

see Nancay there beside the door? He is unmoved He looks to-day as he

looked yesterday Yet he has charge of the work in the palace--"

For the first time Tavannes allowed a movement of surprise to escape him

"In the palace?" he muttered "Is it to be done here, too, sire?"

"Would you let some escape, to return by-and-by and cut our throats?" the

King retorted, with a strange spirt of fury; an incapacity to ether was the most fatal

weakness of his ill-balanced nature "No All! All!" he repeated with

veheht? But I'll not leave

eight! My cousins, for they are blood-royal, shall live if they will

recant And my old nurse, whether or no And Pare, for no one else

understands my complexion And--"

"And Rochefoucauld, doubtless, sire?"

The King, whose eye had sought his favourite colance at Tavannes