elsewhere into the bargain. We venture, we lose or we win; only this
is somewhat out of my line of work. Self-preservation is not theft;
let us ease our conscience with this sophism . . . Ha! the ladder.
Those twenty louis were well spent. This is droll, good heart. An
onlooker would swear that this is an assignation. Eh well, Romeo was a
sickly lover, and lopped about like a rose in a wind-storm. Mercutio
was the man!"

He had gained the side of the hôtel. From a window above came a faint
yellow haze such as might radiate from a single candle. This was the
signal that all was clear. The man tested the ladder, which was of
rope, and it withstood his weight. Very gently he began to climb,
stopping every three or four rounds and listening. The only noise came
from the armory where a parcel of mercenaries were moving about. Up,
up, round by round, till his fingers touched the damp cold stone of the
window ledge; the man raised himself, leaned toward the left, and
glanced obliquely into the room. It was deserted. A candle burned in
a small alcove. The man drew himself quickly into the room, which was
a kind of gallery facing the grand staircase. A sound coming from the
hall below caused the intruder to slip behind a curtain. A lackey was
unbarring the door. The man in the gallery wondered why.

"My very nerves have ears," he murmured. "If I were sure . . . to pay
madame a visit while she sleeps and dreams!" His hand grew tense
around the hilt of his sword. "No; let us play Iago rather than
Tarquinius; let ambition, rather than love, strike the key-note. Greed
was not born to wait. As yet I have robbed no man save at cards; and
as every noble cheats when he can, I can do no less. Neither have I
struck a man in the back. And I like not this night's business."