Having concluded, Monsieur de Garnache sat back in his chair, and
threw one leg over the other, fixing his eyes upon the Seneschal's
face and awaiting his reply.

On that gross countenance before him he saw fall the shadow of
perplexity. Tressan was monstrous ill-at-ease, and his face lost
a good deal of its habitual plethora of colour. He sought to
temporize.

"Does it not occur to you, monsieur, that perhaps too much
importance may have been attached to the word of this child - this
Mademoiselle de La Vauvraye?"

"Does it occur to you that such has been the case, that she has
overstated it?" counter-questioned Monsieur de Garnache.

"No, no. I do not say that. But - but - would it not be better -
more - ah - satisfactory to all concerned, if you yourself were to
go to Condillac, and deliver your message in person, demanding
mademoiselle?"

The man from Paris looked at him a moment, then stood up suddenly,
and shifted the carriages of his sword back to their normal
position. His brows came together in a frown, from which the
Seneschal argued that his suggestion was not well received.

"Monsieur," said the Parisian very coldly, like a man who contains
a rising anger, "let me tell you that this is the first time in my
life that I have been concerned in anything that had to do with