“I know your zeal and friendship too well to hesitate to send for you at the first touch of danger. But I look for none of any serious character. And now,” he broke off, rising, “it is time for this visit to the Castle. I must find Mademoiselle de Malincourt.” Gabrielle was waiting for him and again urged him not to go. “I have a presentiment,” she said. “Let me dissuade you at the last moment from this ill-omened daring.” “I should rather read the omens ill if I were to leave you or suffer you to go alone, Gabrielle.” “Is there nothing I can say or do that will urge you to fly?” “Nothing, nothing; unless,” he added with a half-serious smile--“unless you would share the flight. And that I cannot ask--yet.” She started and looked to read his face, and after a moment answered-- “I am a Malincourt, and my place, for good or ill, is in Morvaix.” “And where is mine if not by your side?” Nothing more was said, and they set out, Gabrielle so chilled by a presentiment of danger that her look was serious and troubled. CHAPTER XII GABRIELLE’S FRIEND The Duke carried away from Malincourt a heart bitter with jealousy and black with anger, and he vented his passion upon de Proballe, whom he chose to regard as the cause of all the trouble. “You have betrayed my confidence shamefully. You have doubtless your own ends to gain, as that letter hinted; but they will cost you dear, whatever they are, monsieur.” “Betrayed you? How?” asked de Proballe, exceedingly uneasy as he thought his ulterior plans might be suspected. “What have I done other than as we agreed?” “Did we agree that this scoundrel was so to arrange the manner of his coming as to impress your niece in this way? Was he to flaunt himself as a man of spirit and courage and impose thus on a young, impressionable, high-minded girl?” “Did I order the manner of his coming? You wrong me entirely. His secret coming was as much a surprise to me as an offence to you; and that he was able to make this impression on Gabrielle was not my doing but the blundering of your own men. Your soldiers first in the market place; your followers, de Cavannes and d’Estelle, afterwards in their attack upon Denys in Gabrielle’s very presence when Gerard was at hand.” “Would God they had killed him!” exclaimed the Duke brutally. “But after the affair in the market place you should have told me.” “Nay, that is an even greater injustice than ever. Who of us even guessed that the man was de Cobalt?” De Proballe’s tone was a good imitation of injured innocence. “You have betrayed me, I say; and if the thing miscarries you shall suffer,” returned the Governor, in no mood to listen to any reason. “You should have stopped the mischief as soon as you saw it was going so far.” “It happened but yesterday.” “God’s Cross! man, what has that to do with it? Is a mischief like this to be counted by hours? Was it ever in our plan that the villain should win your niece’s heart?”