CHAPTER IX. The Master-General. CHAPTER X. An Old Friend. CHAPTER XI. A Swim in the Seine. CHAPTER XII. Monsieur Ravaillac does not Suit. CHAPTER XIII. The Louvre. CHAPTER XIV. Under the Limes. CHAPTER XV. The Hand of Babette. CHAPTER XVI. A Council of War. CHAPTER XVII. Maitre Pantin Sells Cabbages. CHAPTER XVIII. The Skylight in the Toison d'Or. CHAPTER XIX. 'Plain Henri de Bourbon.' CHAPTER XX. At the Sign of 'The Toison d'Or.' PRELUDE I. In no secret shrine doth my Lady sleep, But is ever before mine eyes; By well or ill, by wrong or right-- By the burning sun, or the moon's pale light-- Where the tropics fire or the fulmar flies, In rest or stormful fight. II. Good hap with the strong fierce winds that blow; Man holdeth the world in fee. By the light of her face, by my Lady's grace, Spread we our sails to the sea. With God above and our hearts below, Fight we the fight for weal or woe. III. Good hap with the strong fierce winds that blow, God rest their souls who die! By my Lady's grace, by her pure, pale face My pennon flies in its pride of place; Where my pennon flies am I. IV. Nor wind nor storm may turn me back, For I see the beacon fire. And time shall yield a hard fought field, And, with God's help, an unstained shield I win my heart's desire. S. L. Y. (_Vanity Fair_.) THE CHEVALIER D'AURIAC CHAPTER I THE JUSTICE OF M. DE RONE '_Mille diables!_ Lost again! The devil runs in those dice!' and de Gomeron, with an impatient sweep of his hand, scattered the little spotted cubes on to the floor of the deserted and half-ruined hut, wherein we were beguiling the weariness of our picket duty before La Fere, with a shake of our elbows, and a few flagons of wine, captured from Monsieur the King of Navarre, as we, in our folly, called him still.