with me my soldier servant. I had, that evening, gone farther than
usual, the night being fair and the weather balmy, and naturally,
when I heard the cry of a woman in distress, I determined to see
what had happened, as it might well be that murder was being
done."

He then related all the circumstances of his obtaining an entrance
into the gardens, of the attack upon him by the guard, and how he
finally brought Mademoiselle Pointdexter to Versailles. The king
listened attentively.

"It was an exploit I should have loved to perform, when I was your
age, Monsieur Kennedy. You behaved in the matter with singular
discretion and gallantry; but, if you intend always to interfere,
when you hear a woman cry out, it is like that your time will be
pretty well occupied; and that, before long, there will be a
vacancy in the ranks of your regiment. Truly, Monsieur le Baron
and his daughter have reason for gratitude that you happened to be
passing at the time; and I, as King of France, am glad that this
outrage on a lady of the court has failed.

"I am, perhaps, not altogether without blame in the matter. A
short time ago, the Vicomte de Tulle told me that he hoped to
better his fortune by a rich marriage. He named no names, nor said
aught of the measures he intended to adopt. But I said it would be
well that he should do so, for rumours had reached me that his
finances were in disorder. Whether he took this as a permission to
use any means that he thought fit I cannot tell; and I certainly
did not suspect, when I heard of the disappearance of Mademoiselle
de Pointdexter, that he had any hand in it, and was shocked when