Argosy All-Story Weekly, August 9, 1924 — page 56: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

206 Bourdelais stood in miserable silence be- fore him, one hand clasping the bleeding ear which the Gascon had pulled. ‘““ Ah,” continued D’Albret, ‘“‘ do I hear you say that you spoke in jest and that you intended explaining to this lady and these gentles that you lied?” Bourdelais dumbly nodded his head. ‘““ Tt is as well,” said the Gascon. ‘* And now, Bourdelais, about that little matter that we were discussing this morning when Picard so rudely interrupted me: Is there nought I can do to dissuade you from your intention of resigning the commission that his majesty bestowed upon you? Think, man—think hard!” The Swiss choked and he looked pleading- ly into D’Albret’s face. But in those laugh- ing eyes he saw nothing of mercy and he slowly shook his head. “YT have decided,” he whispered, so that only D’Albret heard him. ‘“‘ And your decision?” prompted the Gas- con. “ Say it loud, Bourdelais—so that M. Paradis, and these other gentles may hear.” Bourdelais turned to De Sauvole. “T feel, monsieur, that my health will not permit of my retaining the warrant that his majesty conferred upon me. There- fore, I beg of you to—to—” ‘To appoint some other person in my place,” suggested the merciless D’Albret. Bourdelais repeated the words and then made as if to leave the room. De Sauvole and the officers present who had had to suffer the ignominy of the man’s drunken bombast short minutes before, looked at D’Albret with respectful admiration, and they exchanged glances of incredulous de- light. “You may leave this room, Bourdelais,”’ called D’Albret after the slinking figure, “ but you had better retire to your old quar- ters aboard the Soliel. Rossignol—whose ugly, grinning face I see in the hallway— will accompany you to the ship. May your dreams be pleasant, monsieur, and may you suffer no pangs of conscience as you view the blood of Picard upon the floor of your cabin. For a few moments there was a silence in the low-ceiled chamber that could almost be felt, and then, as a distant door slammed, a babel ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. of voices arose as every person in the room crowded around the Gascon, and a hun- dred questions were asked him. “ Messieurs!” he protested laughingly as he held his hands in the air in an attitude of surrender. “I cannot answer your many questions until I have eaten some of this appetizing food whose savor fills the air. Have mercy, I pray; I have had nought to eat since yestere’en.”’ And he looked almost shyly into Felice’s drawn face as he sat down beside her. But he was allowed little time for com- forting the inner man. There were many introductions to be made, all of which D’Albret acknowledged with the natural courtesy which was one of his most winning charms; but to all the excited questions which were hurled at him he replied that he would make a full explanation as soon as he had partaken of his dinner, When final- ly he sat back in his chair, the throbbing bruise on his head forgotten in the satiety of the moment, he related to his interested listeners such facts of Bourdelais’s humilia- tion and chastisement as he chose to give them. ‘The man is, as you say, my dear De Sauvole, a mannerless churl,” he said in reply to a heated remark from the gov- ernor, ‘‘ and on that account we must make allowances for his boorish behavior this eve- ning. ‘“‘ He is indeed a rogue—such an one as you have little conception, though, unless he gives me cause for doing so, the secret of his villainy will not be disclosed by me. I would suggest, monsieur, that you see to it that he does not communicate with any person outside the confines of this fortress.” De Sauvole nodded his head. “You consider him a spy?” he asked in- terestedly. D’Albret made a gesture of uncertainty. ‘JT will not say that he is a spy,” he re- plied, “ but I am convinced that he is a per- son to whom it would be most unwise to impart any information concerning your methods of defense or offense, nor any secrets which you would not care to have reach the ears of the Spaniards.” A murmur of anger arose from the assem- bled officers. GoIMmilGebdoo 's SS (C@)