A Gentleman-at-arms

merry, but I was aweary with having been up all the night before, and what with our host's good cheer and the heaviness of the air I could scarce keep my eyes open. Ever and anon I wandere

y horse and my servant, and had taken a pace or two before I remembered the shadow in the doorway. I looked up then to see whether the man was still there, and in that very moment a figure sprang at me out of the dark entry, and I saw in the starlight a long dagger uplifted against the sky. I had no time to draw my own weapon, but my lucky remembrance of the man having saved me from being taken wholly by surprise, I dropped suddenly to the ground, and my assailant stumbled over me in the vehemence of his onset. Before he could recover his footing I was upon him, but could d

G AT ME OUT OF

me took instantly to their heels. The fourth remained, still bending over us, and I heard his pants, and though I could not see his sword-arm, being partly underneath the body of

se streets, with many crooks and corners and narrow alleys; so they came back after going a few paces, and while some asked me whether I was hurt, others bent down to look at the fallen man, who was stark dead. A torch being brought from the marquis's lodging, they saw the device upon the man's coat, and some one cried that it was one of De Lameray's men. At this Raoul looked at me, and I at him, but we said nothing to our companions, having much f

back in his chair, and then unclasping his hands as he rose; and now my recollection acquainted me with something which had scarce made any impression at the moment of my actual beholding: the man's left hand had lacked a finger! I could not doubt that the man in the chateau and he of

und His Majesty with Rosny in his tent, and the Baron de Lameray was there too, and as I en

is this I hear of tavern brawling in

r for the doings of others; but an attempt was made upon my life las

d-be assassins?" asked t

here," I replied, glancing towards Lameray; "and as for the others, I know

whether I hinted at him. Whereupon I smiled very pleasantly, and glancing at h

what afflictions Providence has been

eat: "I have already explained to His Majesty that at the time of this fracas I had not returned from the

as empty, my good R

, it is a slight thing, no doubt, but one of those I saw there had suffered the same misfortune

upon Lameray, who did not change

ions of conspirators lacking a finger. Maybe h

plain to the King that his manner of receiving my news had ruffled me, or that the remembrance had not come to me until the middle of the night, for that might very well seem to be a dream, or even an invention. I stammered in this quandary, and, I doubt not, looked as much embarrassed as I felt; and the King laug

after I found that I was not alone in this suspicion, for Rosny himself came to me and asked me to be wary, and to acquaint him immediately of anything I might see or hear further. "We must put things to the proof," he said in his brief way. When I told him that Hilary