"I had only the honour of meeting him yesterday," Philip said, as they sat down to table; "but he behaved like a true gentleman, and did me the honour of being my second, in an unfortunate affair into which I was forced." "Who was your opponent, may I ask, sir?" "Count Raoul de Fontaine." "A doughty swordsman!" Gaston de Rebers exclaimed; "but one of our bitterest opponents in this province. You are fortunate, indeed, to have escaped without a serious wound; for he has been engaged in many duels, and but few of his opponents have escaped with their lives." "He will neither persecute you, nor fight more duels," Philip said quietly; "for I had the misfortune to kill him." The others looked at him with astonishment. "Do I understand rightly, Monsieur Fletcher, that you have slain Raoul de Fontaine in a duel?" "That is the case," Philip replied. "Monsieur D'Estanges, as I have said, acted as my second. Count Louis de Fontaine acted for his cousin." "You will pardon my having asked you the question again," De Rebers said; "but really, it seemed well-nigh impossible that a gentleman who, as I take it, can yet be scarcely of age, should have slain Raoul de Fontaine." "I lack four years, yet, of being of age," Philip said; "for it will be another month before I am seventeen. But I have had good teachers, both English and French; and our games and exercises, at school, naturally bring us forward, in point of strength and stature, in comparison with your countrymen of the same age. Still, doubtless, it was as much due to good fortune as to skill that I gained my success. "I assuredly had no desire to kill him; the less so because, to a certain extent, the duel was of my making. There was, as it seemed to me, no choice between fighting him, and being denounced by him as a spy. Therefore when he accosted me roughly, I took the matter up hotly, and there was nothing for it but an encounter. As I have said, I meant only to wound him; but his skill and his impetuosity were so great that I was forced, in self defence, to run him through. "After all, I gained nothing by the duel; for the governor, with a troop of horse, came up just as it concluded, and as I could give no satisfactory account of myself, I was hauled off a prisoner to the castle." "And how did you escape thence?" Gaston asked. Philip gave an account of the manner in which his servant had rescued him. "Parbleu! You are fortunate in your servant! Would that so shrewd a knave-- "But there, the trumpets are sounding. I will take you at once to the queen, who is doubtless ready to mount." Chapter 13: At Laville. The queen was standing at the door of the house where she had lain down for a few hours' rest, after her arrival. The prince was standing beside her. "Here is our English friend, mother," he exclaimed, running forward to meet Philip. "Welcome, Monsieur Fletcher. When we found that you were not here, on our arrival last night, we feared that some evil had befallen you."