"No, commandant, he has been hanged since." "Hanged!" muttered Canolles, with pallid cheeks, looking about at the ominous surroundings and the savage faces of his keepers. "Hanged! the devil! this is likely to postpone my wedding indefinitely!" XX. Madame de Cambes had finished her toilet,--a toilet all the more charming for its simplicity,--and throwing a light cape over her shoulders, motioned to Pompée to go before her. It was almost dark, and thinking that she would be less likely to be observed on foot than in a carriage, she ordered her carriage to await her at one of the doors of the Carmelite church, near a chapel in which she had obtained permission for the marriage ceremony to take place. Pompée descended the stairs and the viscountess followed. This assumption of the duties of a scout reminded the old soldier of the famous patrol of the night before the battle of Corbie. At the foot of the staircase, as the viscountess was about to pass the door of the salon, where there was a great commotion, she met Madame de Tourville dragging the Duc de La Rochefoucauld toward the princess's cabinet, and engaged in an earnest discussion with him on the way. "One word, madame, I entreat," said she; "what decision has been reached?" "My plan is adopted!" cried Madame de Tourville, triumphantly. "What is your plan, madame? I do not know." "Reprisals, my dear, reprisals!" "Pardon me, madame, but I am so unfortunate as not to be familiar as you are with warlike terms; what do you mean by the word 'reprisals'?" "Nothing simpler, dear child." "Pray explain yourself." "They hanged an officer in the army of Messieurs les Princes, did they not?" "Yes; what then?" "Why, we hunt up an officer of the royal army in Bordeaux, and hang him." "Great God!" cried Claire, in dismay; "what do you say, madame?" "Monsieur le Duc," continued the dowager, apparently not heeding the viscountess's alarm, "has not the officer who was in command at Saint-Georges already been arrested?" "Yes, madame," the duke replied. "Monsieur de Canolles arrested!" cried Claire. "Yes, madame," rejoined the duke, coldly, "Monsieur de Canolles is arrested, or soon will be; the order was given in my presence, and I saw the men set out to execute it." "But did they know where he was?" Claire asked with a last ray of hope. "He was at the house of our host, Monsieur de Lalasne, in the suburbs, where they say he was having great success at tennis." Claire uttered a cry. Madame de Tourville turned upon her in amazement, and the duke glanced at her with an imperceptible smile. "Monsieur de Canolles arrested!" the viscountess repeated. "In God's name, what has he done? What connection has he with the horrible occurrence which saddens us all?" "What connection has he with it? The very closest, my dear. Is not he a governor, as Richon was?" Claire tried to speak, but the words died upon her lips.