I might have confined myself to
sowing fear in his heart; that alone might have had the effect I
desired; by visiting upon him at the same time the insults I could
not repress, I may have aroused his resistance, and excited his
desire above all else to thwart me.
"What do you want of me?" he demanded, with a sudden arrogance which
almost cast mine into the shade.
"I want you," said I, deeming the time ripe to make a plain tale of
it, "to withdraw your men, and to ride back to Toulouse without
Monsieur de Lavedan, there to confess to the Keeper of the Seals
that your suspicions were unfounded, and that you have culled
evidence that the Vicomte has had no relations with Monsieur the
King's brother."
He looked at me in amazement - amusedly, almost.
"A likely story that to bear to the astute gentlemen in Toulouse,"
said he.
"Aye, ma foi, a most likely story," said I. "When they come to
consider the profit that you are losing by not apprehending the
Vicomte, and can think of none that you are making, they will have
little difficulty in believing you."
"But what of this evidence you refer to?"
"You have, I take it, discovered no incriminating evidence - no
documents that will tell against the Vicomte?"
"No, monsieur, it is true that I have not--"
He stopped and bit his lip, my smile making him aware of his
indiscretion.
"Very well, then, you must invent some evidence to prove that he
was in no way, associated with the rebellion.
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