visit him; then, having refused Leicester audience, wrote to him. “What is this I hear,” she scrawled upon the paper--“that you have forced a quarrel with the Lord of Rozel, and have well ny ta’en his life! Is swording, then, your dearest vice that you must urge it on a harmless gentleman, and my visitor? Do you think you hold a charter of freedom for your selfwill? Have a care, Leicester, or, by God! you shall know another sword surer than your own.” The rage of Leicester on receiving this knew no bounds; for though he had received from Elizabeth stormy letters before, none had had in it the cold irony of this missive. The cause of it? Desperation seized him. With a mad disloyalty he read in every word of Elizabeth’s letter, Michel de la Forêt, refugee. With madder fury he determined to strike for the immediate ruin of De la Forêt, and Angèle with him--for had she not thrice repulsed him as though he had been some village captain? After the meeting in the maze he had kept his promise of visiting her “prison.” By every art, and without avail, he had through patient days sought to gain an influence over her; for he saw that if he could but show the Queen that the girl was open to his advances, accepted his protection, her ruin would be certain--in anger Elizabeth would take revenge upon both refugees. But however much he succeeded with Monsieur Aubert, he failed wholly with Angèle. She repulsed him still with the most certain courtesy, with the greatest outward composure; but she had to make her fight alone, for the Queen forbade intercourse with Michel, and she must have despaired but for the messages sent now and then by the Duke’s Daughter. Through M. Aubert, to whom Leicester was diligently courteous, and whom he sought daily, discussing piously the question of religion so dear to the old man’s heart, he strove to foster in Angèle’s mind the suspicion he had ventured at their meeting in the maze, that the Queen, through personal interest in Michel, was saving his life to keep him in her household. So well did he work on the old man’s feelings that when he offered his own protection to M. Aubert and Angèle, whatever the issue with De la Forêt might be, he was met with an almost tearful response of gratitude. It was the moment to convey a deep distrust of De la Forêt into the mind of the old refugee, and it was subtly done.