But I am not to be blinded
any longer--or bullied. You have arrested him, have you? You
have arrested him. Well, by G--, I shall arrest him, and I shall
arrest you too.'
'You are mad!' I said staggered as much by this new view of the
matter as by his perfect certainty. 'Mad, Lieutenant.'
'I was,' he snarled. 'But I am sane now. I was mad when you
imposed upon us, when you persuaded me to think that you were
fooling the women to get the secret out of them, while all the
time you were sheltering them, protecting them, aiding them, and
hiding him--then I was mad. But not now. However, I ask your
pardon. I thought you the cleverest sneak and the dirtiest hound
Heaven ever made. I find you are cleverer than I thought, and an
honest traitor. Your pardon.'
One of the men, who stood about the rim of the bowl above us,
laughed. I looked at the Lieutenant and could willingly have
killed him.
'MON DIEU!' I said--and I was so furious in my turn that I could
scarcely speak. 'Do you say that I am an impostor--that I do not
hold the Cardinal's commission?'
'I do say that,' he answered coolly.
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