It was a singular situation the enraged Charlemagne had to meet; continually stirred with rage by the evil advisers who had his ear on one hand, and on the other hand urged by the influential men of his court, who, lost in admiration of the brave struggle of the four sons of Aymon, regarded an honorable peace to them to be the proper course for the emperor to pursue. The next day, a delegation of knights waited upon him and stated that it was the general demand that such should be granted; they so appealed to the good sense of Charlemagne that he would have undoubtedly, then and there, yielded and acquiesced to the general demand. Never had the position of the conspirators who had heretofore been successful in preventing the good understanding between Charlemagne and the four sons of Aymon been so perilous. The Abbé Gorieux, Ganelon and Pinabel held a hasty consultation. “Now what shall be done,” said Ganelon, biting his lips. “It is hopeless! I cannot see that anything can be done,” said Pinabel, grinding his teeth and clinching his hands, for he had a consuming hatred of Maugis, that one of his vile character could only have of a nature more noble. Within him hate had fed upon hate, until his one thought was how to wreak vengeance upon its object. “Delay, my friend; our hope is in delay,” the smooth voice of the crafty abbé interposed. “Do thou now, Pinabel, influence the emperor to postpone his decision in this matter; it will give us chance to work our ends; indeed, it is our only hope,” he added despairingly. Pinabel at once hurried to the emperor, saying: “Sire, grant this peace, which is no doubt the proper course to pursue, for such a great war is surely impious,” he added hypocritically; “therefore, it indeed were well to grant the peace we all desire, only decide not hastily; take all means to assure thyself that this course will be appreciated by the rebellious sons of Aymon, that they will faithfully fulfill all conditions you may impose, and properly carry out the penances it is right they should suffer; what these conditions should be, what penances proper, it would be foolish to hastily decide; let us therefore use deliberation, that the realization of all our hopes, the peace that is so dear to us all, may be secured upon a firm and unchangeable basis.” This apparently candid, disinterested advice deceived the emperor, and he put off making a decision that day. Then the old scheme, which had succeeded so often before, was brought into use. The emperor, however, was not so easily worked upon as he had formerly been; he, himself, had become tired with the war and strife, and although excessively enraged by his inability to conquer the redoubtable knights D’Aymon, and by their continued humiliation of him, he was too wise a monarch not to see the advantage of an honorable peace. Consequently the task of the conspirators was no light one.