“The king, the queen-mother, and myself will be present at the execution, together with the whole court and the ambassadors--” “A fete!” said the prince, sarcastically. “Better than that,” said the young queen, “an _act of faith_, an act of the highest policy. ‘Tis a question of forcing the noblemen of France to submit themselves to the Crown, and compelling them to give up their tastes for plots and factions--” “You will not break their belligerent tempers by the show of danger, madame; you will risk the Crown itself in the attempt,” replied the prince. At the end of the dinner, which was gloomy enough, Queen Mary had the cruel boldness to turn the conversation openly upon the trial of the noblemen on the charge of being seized with arms in their hands, and to speak of the necessity of making a great public show of their execution. “Madame,” said Francois II., “is it not enough for the king of France to know that so much brave blood is to flow? Must he make a triumph of it?” “No, sire; but an example,” replied Catherine. “It was the custom of your father and your grandfather to be present at the burning of heretics,” said Mary Stuart. “The kings who reigned before me did as they thought best, and I choose to do as I please,” said the little king. “Philip the Second,” remarked Catherine, “who is certainly a great king, lately postponed an _auto da fe_ until he could return from the Low Countries to Valladolid.” “What do you think, cousin?” said the king to Prince de Conde. “Sire, you cannot avoid it, and the papal nuncio and all the ambassadors should be present. I shall go willingly, as these ladies take part in the fete.” Thus the Prince de Conde, at a glance from Catherine de’ Medici, bravely chose his course. * * * * * At the moment when the Prince de Conde was entering the chateau d’Amboise, Lecamus, the furrier of the two queens, was also arriving from Paris, brought to Amboise by the anxiety into which the news of the tumult had thrown both his family and that of Lallier. When the old man presented himself at the gate of the chateau, the captain of the guard, on hearing that he was the queens’ furrier, said:-- “My good man, if you want to be hanged you have only to set foot in this courtyard.”