'Your lordship is perspicacious. After Lorenzaccio was taken, no muleteer could have been found to run the gauntlet. I am a captain of fortune. Beppo Farfalla, to serve your lordship. I lead a company of three hundred lances, now at my Lord Cardinal's orders at Cantalupo. At my Lord Cardinal's invitation I undertook this adventure, in the hope that it may lead to employment.' 'By God, if I am to be starved I am likely to offer you employment.' 'If your lordship waits to be starved. That was not my Lord Cardinal's view of what should happen.' 'He'll teach me my trade, will he, my priestly brother?' Messer Beppo shrugged. 'As to that, he has some shrewd notions.' 'Notions! My Lord Cardinal?' Vignate was very savage in his chagrin. 'What are these notions?' 'One of them is that this pouring of provisions into Alessandria was as futile as the torment of the Danaides.' 'Danaides? Who are they?' 'I hoped your lordship would know. I don't. I quote my Lord Cardinal's words; no more.' 'It's a pagan allusion out of Appollodorus,' the monk explained. 'What my Lord Cardinal means,' said Beppo, 'is that to feed you was a sheer waste, since as long as it continued, you sat here doing nothing.' 'Doing nothing!' Vignate was indignant. 'Let him keep to his Mass and his breviary and what else he understands.' 'He understands more than your lordship supposes.' 'More of what?' 'Of the art of war, my lord.' And my lord laughed unpleasantly, being joined by his captain, but not by the monk whom it offended to see a cardinal derided. And now Beppo went on: 'He assumes that this news will be a spur you need.' 'Why damn his impudence and yours! I need no spur. You'll tell him from me that I make war by my own judgment. If I have sat here inactive, it is that I have sat here awaiting my chance.' 'And now that the threat of starvation will permit you to sit here no longer, you will be constrained to go out and seek that chance.' 'Seek it?' Vignate was frowning darkly, his eyes aflame. He disliked this cockerel's easy, impudent tone. Captains of fortune did not usually permit themselves such liberties with him. 'Where shall I seek it? Tell me that and I'll condone your insolence.' 'My Lord Cardinal thinks it might be sought in Facino's quarters at Pavone.' 'Oh, yes; or in the Indies, or in Hell. They're as accessible. I have made sorties from here--four of them, and all disastrous. Yet the diasters were due to no fault of mine.' 'Is your lordship quite sure of that?' quoth Messer Beppo softly, smiling a little. The Lord of Lodi exploded. 'Am I sure?' he cried, his grey face turning purple and inflating. 'Dare any man suggest that I am to blame?' 'My Lord Cardinal dares. He more than suggests it. He says so bluntly.' 'And your impudence no doubt agrees with him?'