"And so he does," said Brin's more timid companion: "he is a great favorite of the cardinal; and Monsieur de Tronson warned us not to touch a hair of his head under any circumstances. He said that we should be held to answer for any evil that happened to him. We were only to follow him wherever he went from Nantes, and not lose sight of him till he joined the English lord." "Then did you first see him at Nantes?" asked the count. "Surely," replied the other: "we waited in the court-yard while he was in with the cardinal, that we might take good note of him as he came out." There was a silence of some minutes, and then the voice of the sick man was heard saying, "After all, you had better not treat him badly, monseigneur. I do not think I am very much hurt; and if he is hardly used some of us will suffer, you may be sure." "You should have told me this before," said Monsieur de Bourbonne, in a very sharp tone. "Why, what time had we to tell you any thing, monseigneur?" asked the wounded man's brother. "At all events, we tell you now," growled Brin; "and this talking is not likely to do me good. The lad is as fierce as a young wolf. He threatened to shoot me once before; but he is a pet of the cardinal,--one of his own people, for aught we know,--and, now that you are told he is so, you may use him as you think fit. It is no fault of ours: we have not hurt him." It is probable that the interview was less satisfactory to the Count de Bourbonne than he had expected; for he brought it speedily to a conclusion, and Edward for full half an hour after heard the two men above talking together in the language he did not understand. At the end of that time the bolt of the door was undrawn, and the soldier who had previously brought him bread and water appeared again, with somewhat of a grin upon his face. "Well, young gentleman," he said, "Monsieur le Comte begs you will send him up the safe-conduct you mentioned to him. After seeing that, perhaps they may treat you better." "Tell him I will not!" said Edward, in a resolute tone: "he may come and take it from me by force,--or he may see it here in my presence; but I give it out of my own hands to no one,--especially not to one who has treated me unlike a soldier and a gentleman. Tell him what I say." The soldier laughed. "'Pon my word, you are a bold one!" he said. "Do you not know you are quite in his power?" "Not so much as you think," replied Edward: "I am not the least afraid of him. Tell him exactly what I say."