talk of you, but of my nephew. Why did he visit you?"

"To do me the honour of asking me to second him at St. Germain this
evening."

"And so you think that this duel is to be fought?--that my nephew is to be
murdered?"

"We will endeavour to prevent his being--as your Eminence daintily puts
it--murdered. But for the rest, the duel, methinks, cannot be avoided."

"Cannot!" he blazed. "Do you say cannot, M. de Luynes? Mark me well, sir:
I will use no dissimulation with you. My position in France is already a
sufficiently difficult one. Already we are threatened with a second
Fronde. It needs but such events as these to bring my family into
prominence and make it the butt for the ridicule that malcontents but wait
an opportunity to slur it with. This affair of Andrea's will lend itself
to a score or so of lampoons and pasquinades, all of which will cast an
injurious reflection upon my person and position. That, Monsieur, is,
methinks, sufficient evil to suffer at your hands. The late Cardinal would
have had you broken on the wheel for less. I have gone no farther than to
dismiss you from my service--a clemency for which you should be grateful.
But I shall not suffer that, in addition to the harm already done, Andrea
shall be murdered by Canaples."

"I shall do my best to render him assistance."

"You still misapprehend me. This duel, sir, must not take place."

I shrugged my shoulders.