"What punishment would you have me mete out to him?" he asked as he
wrote. "Come, Marcel, deal fairly with me, and deal fairly with him
--for as you deal with him, so shall I deal with you through him."

I felt myself paling in my excitement. "There is banishment, Sire
--it is usual in cases of treason that are not sufficiently flagrant
to be punished by death."

"Yes!" He wrote busily. "Banishment for how long, Marcel? For his
lifetime?"

"Nay, Sire. That were too long."

"For my lifetime, then?"

"Again that were too long."

He raised his eyes and smiled. "Ah! You turn prophet? Well, for
how long, then? Come, man."

"I should think five years--"

"Five years be it. Say no more."

He wrote on for a few moments; then he raised the sandbox and
sprinkled the document.

"Tiens!" he cried, as he dusted it and held it out to me. "There
is my warrant for the disposal of Monsieur le Vicomte Leon de
Lavedan. He is to go into banishment for five years, but his