At that moment the carriages had reached a wider space in the street, where Antonio stood, so that the Minister's carriage was enabled to pass the duke's: as it did so, Carvalho looked from the window. "I wish not to insult you, my lord duke," he said; "but the driver of my carriage has my orders to hasten towards the palace, nor will I be disobeyed; regardless of the rank of those I may pass, my duty to my sovereign is above all other considerations." The last words were scarce heard as he drove by, while the the Duke shook his hand with fury. The Cobbler laughed quietly to himself, as he beheld the scene. "What fools men are!" he muttered. "Now, that noble duke is enraged because a man who is in a hurry passes him while he is not; but he had better take care, and not enrage the Minister in return, or he will be like the man who put his head into the lion's mouth, and forgot to take it out again." "Ah! does this bold plebeian dare to insult me to my very face?" exclaimed the Duke, as he watched the Minister's carriage; "but, ere long, I will be revenged, and nought but his blood shall wipe out the remembrance of his audacity. He dreams not of the punishment that awaits him. Ah! he shall be the first victim when I attain to power." "Did your Excellency mark the look of proud derision he cast as he succeeded in passing your coach?" observed the sycophantish Captain Policarpio, who sat opposite to his master, and was ever ready to inflame his anger against those by whose downfall alone he had any hopes of succeeding in his ambitious projects. "I marked it well, and shall not forget it till he mounts the scaffold," returned the Duke, grinding his teeth with fury. "Boastful as he now is, he will then be humble enough." By the side of the Duke was his young nephew, to whom he had not ventured to breathe any of his aspiring hopes, well knowing, that neither by habits nor temper was he formed to aid in their accomplishment. The youth now looked up with an expression somewhat of surprise and pain on his countenance, and endeavoured to counteract the influence of Captain Policarpio's observations. "Senhor Carvalho had doubtless good reason for hurrying on to present himself before his Majesty," he said. "Methinks, too, Senhor Policarpio must be mistaken when he supposed that the Minister could have intentionally insulted my uncle." "There was no mistaking his proud glance, boy," returned the Duke. "You know not the daring impudence of the man; his sole delight is to show his contempt of that rank to which he can never by right belong." "Yet the King, whom we are all bound to reverence, places confidence in him; and he has already shown good example of his abilities," observed the young Viscount.