"Satan's brood!" growled the Marshal, "away with them all to prison, and we, gentlemen, to our posts!" all hastened out, the guests had already retired without taking leave: the boy looked boldly and smilingly round the saloon, and carelessly followed his guard; no one remained behind but Colonel Julien and the Intendant, who took their hats and sticks to go to their respective houses. "This cannot continue," said the Lord of Basville, "the king sacrifices his army fruitlessly and the rebellion becomes more obstinate and stronger." "Things will change," said the Colonel, "I have the surest intelligence from Paris;--but you testify too openly your contempt of him; he also knows what you report concerning him at court." "Can I do otherwise," said the Intendant, "if I am a faithful servant to the king? you have witnessed all, and must acknowledge in your heart, that but for this Marshal, this rebellion would never have become a war; he nourishes it, he is rejoicing at the idea of becoming important through it, he squanders all his time with women and is brave as a soldier only through pityful vanity, and he piques himself in gaining the affections of silly women." "If we now obtain a better general," said Julien, "it is to be hoped, that this system of overreached severity and cruelty would be given up and trial made of gentle means." "No good subject of the king can counsel that," said the Intendant taking a hasty leave of the Colonel. The streets were in an uproar and every one was hastening to make resistance against the rebels, who appeared more dangerous than ever. CHAPTER VII. Some days had elapsed and the Counsellor of Parliament had not seen his son. Franz, the old domestic, had in the mean while set out on a journey, and Joseph, as well as the female servants had not ventured to disturb Edmond. The father was deeply concerned, for his son had never before so pointedly avoided him. His grief lay principally in the feeling, that he could not simply take the shortest and most natural way, with all a father's authority, to force an entrance into his room, which was always locked, and to question him about his condition. He learned from Joseph, that his son always locked himself in, that he was heard to sigh, nay, to weep, and that at night he would steal out to wander about on the mountains, and then would as secretly return in the morning, and avoid every body, in order to go and shut himself up again as before. He seemed also to observe a rigid fast, for he took no food and sent away every thing that was offered to him. "I no longer understand him," said the old man to himself, as he was left once more alone; "his high-wrought feelings destroy him, and I, his father, must see him go to ruin without being able to do anything to save him. At length the dark spirits are roused, that I have so long heard in their slumbers; they have now assuredly taken possession of his soul."