From my clothes they took the letters addressed to Lesperon which
that poor gentleman had entrusted to me on the night of his death;
and among these there was one from the Duc d'Orleans himself, which
would alone have sufficed to have hanged a regiment. Besides these,
they took Monsieur de Marsac's letter of two days ago, and the
locket containing the picture of Mademoiselle de Marsac.
The papers and the portrait they delivered to the Captain, who took
them with the same air of deprecation tainted with disgust that
coloured all his actions in connection with my arrest.
To this same repugnance for his catchpoll work do I owe it that at
the moment of setting out he offered to let me ride without the
annoyance of an escort if I would pass him my parole not to attempt
an escape.
We were standing, then, in the hall of the chateau. His men were
already in the courtyard, and there were only present Monsieur le
Vicomte and Anatole - the latter reflecting the look of sorrow that
haunted his master's face. The Captain's generosity was certainly
leading him beyond the bounds of his authority, and it touched me.
"Monsieur is very generous," said I.
He shrugged his shoulders impatiently.
"Cap de Dieu!" he cried - he had a way of swearing that reminded me
of my friend Cazalet. "It is no generosity, monsieur. It is a
desire to make this obscene work more congenial to the spirit of a
gentleman, which, devil take me, I cannot stifle, not for the King
himself.
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