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"Excellent, indeed, are they!" lisped Saint-Eustache, with an ugly droop at the corners of his mouth "I doubt not you'll find it hard to offer a plausible reason for having left him and his sister without news that you were alive"

"Monsieur," said I at rando in his sister's nauised aht arhtly upon the gold mount of his beribboned cane He let his eyes wander froain toin the name of your betrothed?" said he "But perhaps you will deny that Madeested

And I, forgetting for the moment the part I played and the man whose identity I had put on, made answer hotly: "I do deny it"

"Why, then, you lie," said he, and shrugged hits shoulders with insolent contempt

In all my life I do not think it could be said of e Rude, untutored entlery Nor was I then, so far as the outward signs of anger count I doffed my hat with a sweep to Roxalanne, who stood by with fear and wonder blending in her glance

"Madeive that I find it necessary to birch this babbling schoolboy in your presence"

Then, with the pleasantest manner in the world, I stepped aside, and plucked the cane frouessed what I was about I bowed before hi his leave and tolerance for what I was about to do, and then, before he had recovered from his astonishment, I had laid that cane three times in quick succession across his shoulders With a cry at once of pain and ofback, and his hand dropped to his hilt

"Monsieur," Roxalanne cried to hi, or, if he saw, thanked Heaven that things were in such case, and got his sword out Thereupon Roxalanne would have stepped between us, but with arm outstretched I restrained her

"Have no fear, mademoiselle," said I very quietly; for if the wrist that had overcome La Vertoile were not with a stick a match for a couple of such swords as this coxcomb's, then was I forever shamed