is ruinous to youth. Monsieur le Comte was much in wine; he gambled
recklessly. It was my desire to change his course, but I went at it
either too late or bunglingly. In February he was exiled from court in
disgrace. I have never ascertained the character of this disgrace.
One night in March we had an exchange of opinions. My faith, your
Excellency, but that boy has a terrible tongue. There was not a place
in my armor that he did not pierce. I shall not repeat to you the
subject of our conversation. Suffice it to say that he roused the
devil and the fool in me, and I told him that he had no right to his
name. I am here to correct that wrong as much as lies within my power.
He did not give me an opportunity at home. It is not sentiment; it is
my sense of justice that brings me here. And I truly admire the lad's
spirit. To plunge into the wilderness without calculation; ah, well,
it is only the fool who stops to weigh the hazards of fortune. The boy
is my son, lawfully; and I want him to know it. I am growing old, and
this voyage has written a shorter term for me."

"Monsieur," said De Lauson, "what you tell me makes me truly happy.
But I am afraid that you have destroyed the Chevalier's trust in
humanity. If you ask me to judge you, I shall be severe. You have
committed a terrible sin, unnatural and brutal, unheard of till now by
me."

"I bow to all that," said the marquis. "It was brutal, cruel; it was
all you say. But the fact remains that it is done and that a part of
it must be undone."

"Your sense of justice does credit to a great noble like yourself.
Worldly reparation you may make, but you have wounded his heart and
soul beyond all earthly reparation."