"After all, it may be against another, a different person from him you suppose," replied De Vitry. "This Buondoni, if it be the same man, was insolent to young De Terrail, and Bayard struck him. We also were going to halt at the Villa Rovera, and Ludovic knew it." "But, my lord," exclaimed Antonio, "do you not perceive--" "I see, I see," replied De Vitry, interrupting him: "I know what you would say. Ludovic has no cause to hate Bayard or to remove him; it was but Buondoni's private quarrel. There is some truth in that. Are you sure these men just arrived are his servants?" "As sure as the sun moves round the earth," replied Antonio. "Nay, that I know nought of," answered De Vitry; "but here they come, I suppose. Find out De Terrail, Antonio. Tell him to take twenty men of his troop and go forward with you. You can tell him your errand as you go. I will deal awhile with these gentlemen, and see what I can make out of them." Antonio retired quietly keeping to the shady side of the large ill-lighted hall, while the three freshly-arrived travellers moved slowly forward, with a respectful air, toward the table near which De Vitry sat. "Give you good evening, gentlemen," said the marquis, turning sharply round as soon as he heard their footsteps near. "Whence come you?" "From Pavia, my lord," said Sacchi, a large-boned, black-bearded man. "And what news bring you?" inquired the French commander. "None, my lord," replied the man; "all was marvellous peaceful." "Ay, peace is a marvel in this wicked world," answered De Vitry. "Called you at the Villa Rovera as you passed?" "No, sir--that is, we stopped a moment, but did not call," replied Sacchi. "And what did you stop for?" asked the Frenchman. "Only just to--to be sure of our way," replied Sacchi. "And you came from Pavia, then?" said De Vitry. "You must have set out at a late hour, especially for men who did not rightly know their way. But methinks I saw you in Milan this morning. Will you have the bounty to wake that gentleman at the end of the table, who has gone to sleep over his wine?" He spoke in the calmest and most good-humoured tone, without moving in his seat, his feet stretched out before him, and his head thrown back; and the man to whom he spoke approached the French officer who was seated sleeping at the table, and took him by the shoulder. "Shake him," said De Vitry; "shake him hard; he sleeps soundly when he does sleep." Sacchi did as he was bid, and the officer started up, exclaiming: "What is it? Aux armes!" "No need of arms, Montcour," answered his commander; "only do me the favour of taking that gentleman by the collar, and placing him in arrest." He spoke at first slowly, but increased in rapidity of utterance as he saw his officer's sleepy senses begin to awaken. But Montcour was hardly enough roused to execute his orders, and though he stretched out his hand somewhat quickly towards Sacchi's neck, the Italian had time to jump back and make toward the door.