"Is it seemly in you to speak thus?" replied the young commander, "you, who revel in cruelty; who has called upon you to dye your hands with the blood of innocence." Castanet came forward: "Will you, beloved, honoured brethren, deliver the execrable wretches up into my hands?" asked he, looking round the circle. "Yes! yes!" resounded from all sides, "this solemn day belongs to you, annihilate them, command, do with them what you will, they are given up to you." "Now we are falling out of the frying-pan into the fire," said the priest to Clement, "for the thick, stout, prophecying man will play an ugly game with us, even the gentle Cavalier would not grant us grace; courage! make the best of a bad game, and do not be so chop-fallen." Castanet took Mariette, by the hand, who was weeping bitterly, for, a short time before, these men had slain, or delivered up her brothers to be executed; "Weep not," said he, with suppressed sorrow! "let us give an example to these miserable wretches, that we think better than they; that our union may not be stained with blood. I pity these poor, these erring men, and this timid youth. Return without danger to you dwellings and preach mercy to your party; refrain from blood and tell your magistrates, who call their cruel bloodthirstiness justice, how much better are our sentiments, how much better we are than they. Heaven will the more readily bless my marriage the less I indulge my wrath and desire of vengeance." Young Clement threw himself again on his knees, weeping with gratitude; the others, who had already given themselves up as lost, followed his example, the priest alone drew himself up after a very low bow, and said stammering with embarrassment: "You are a generous man, Mr. Castanet, and I shall know how to extend your fame, although people are loath to believe anything of the kind of such as you; I however have experienced it myself, and thank you for it in my own name, and in that of these prisoners. Mr. Cavalier, let us commend ourselves to God, au revoir!" "No, not au revoir!" cried Cavalier, hastily advancing, "this may only happen in one way, in the field, and I counsel you with your bold, unblushing manner not to reckon again on our generosity, nor brave our condescending flexibility; for mercy and love are not always to be dispensed, and should we see each other a third time, it will be your death, thus does the spirit prophecy to me." "Let the spirit rest, Sir Captain," said the clergyman, as he again made a low bow and retired with the volunteers and Clement, who all more or less testified their gratitude and emotion.