Produced by Brenda Lewis, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Print project.) THE LAUGHING CAVALIER THE STORY OF THE ANCESTOR OF THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL BARONESS ORCZY Author of "Unto Cæsar," "The Scarlet Pimpernel," "El Dorado," "Meadowsweet," etc. NEW YORK GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY Copyright, 1914, BY THE RIDGWAY COMPANY Copyright, 1914, BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY CONTENTS AN APOLOGY THE PROLOGUE THE ADVENTURE I NEW YEAR'S EVE II THE FRACAS BY THE POSTERN GATE III AN INTERLUDE IV WATCH-NIGHT V BROTHER AND SISTER VI THE COUNSELS OF PRUDENCE VII THREE PHILOSOPHERS AND THEIR FRIENDS VIII THE LODGINGS WHICH WERE PAID FOR IX THE PAINTER OF PICTURES X THE LAUGHING CAVALIER XI THE BARGAIN XII THE PORTRAIT XIII THE SPANISH WENCH XIV AFTER EVENSONG XV THE HALT AT BENNEBROCK XVI LEYDEN XVII AN UNDERSTANDING XVIII THE START XIX IN THE KINGDOM OF THE NIGHT XX BACK AGAIN IN HAARLEM XXI A GRIEF-STRICKEN FATHER XXII A DOUBLE PLEDGE XXIII A SPY FROM THE CAMP XXIV THE BIRTH OF HATE XXV AN ARRANT KNAVE XXVI BACK TO HOUDEKERK XXVII THENCE TO ROTTERDAM XXVIII CHECK XXIX CHECK AGAIN XXX A NOCTURNE XXXI THE MOLENS XXXII A RUN THROUGH THE NIGHT XXXIII THE CAPTIVE LION XXXIV PROTESTATIONS XXXV THE WITNESS FOR THE DEFENCE XXXVI BROTHER PHILOSOPHERS XXXVII DAWN XXXVIII THE HOUR XXXIX "SAUVE QUI PEUT" XL THE LOSER PAYS XLI "VENGEANCE IS MINE" XLII THE FIGHT IN THE DOORWAY XLIII LEYDEN ONCE MORE XLIV BLAKE OF BLAKENEY XLV THE END AN APOLOGY Does it need one? If so it must also come from those members of the Blakeney family in whose veins runs the blood of that Sir Percy Blakeney who is known to history as the Scarlet Pimpernel--for they in a manner are responsible for the telling of this veracious chronicle.