I. THE SEVEN DEVILS 1 II. THE THRUST OF NEVERS 13 III. A BUYER OF BLADES 32 IV. THE LITTLE PARISIAN 48 V. THE PARRY TO THE THRUST OF NEVERS 62 VI. THE MOAT OF CAYLUS 73 VII. BROTHERS-IN-ARMS 82 VIII. THE FIGHT IN THE MOAT 91 IX. THE SCYTHE OF TIME 100 X. A VILLAGE FAIR 108 XI. ÆSOP REDUX 114 XII. FLORA 124 XIII. CONFIDENCES 132 XIV. "I AM HERE!" 139 XV. THE KING'S WORD 152 XVI. SHADOWS 159 XVII. IN THE GARDEN 172 XVIII. THE FACTION OF GONZAGUE 185 XIX. THE HALL OF THE THREE LOUIS 198 XX. A CONFIDENTIAL AGENT 209 XXI. THE PRINCESS DE GONZAGUE 219 XXII. THE FAMILY COUNCIL 225 XXIII. THE KING'S BALL 237 XXIV. THE ROSE-COLORED DOMINO 247 XXV. THE GLOVE OF COCARDASSE 257 XXVI. THE REWARD OF ÆSOP 266 XXVII. ÆSOP IN LOVE 278 XXVIII. THE SIGNATURE OF ÆSOP 290 XXIX. THE DEAD SPEAKS 298 I THE SEVEN DEVILS It was very warm in the inn room, but it was so much warmer outside, in the waning flames of the late September evening, that the dark room seemed veritably cool to those who escaped into its shelter from the fading sunlight outside. A window was open to let in what little air was stirring, and from that window a spectator with a good head might look down a sheer drop of more than thirty feet into the moat of the Castle of Caylus. The Inn of the Seven Devils was perched on the lip of one rock, and Caylus Castle on the lip of another. Between the two lay the gorge, which had been partially utilized to form the moat of the castle, and which continued its way towards the Spanish mountains. Beyond the castle a bridge spanned the ravine, carrying on the road towards the frontier. The moat itself was dry now, for war and Caylus had long been disassociated, and France was, for the moment, at peace with her neighbor, if at peace with few other powers. A young thirteenth Louis, a son of the great fourth Henri, now sat upon the throne of France, and seemingly believed himself to be the ruler of his kingdom, though a newly made Cardinal de Richelieu held a different opinion, and acted according to his conviction with great pertinacity and skill.