"Pish, Monsieur! I do not follow your fine distinctions--possibly this is due to my imperfect knowledge of the language of France, possibly to your own imperfect acquaintance with the language of truth."
"Monseigneur!"
"Faugh!" he cried, half scornfully, half peevishly. "I came not here to 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.
"How does your Eminence propose to frustrate it? Will you arrest Canaples?"
"Upon what plea, Monsieur? Think you I am anxious to have the whole of Paris howling in my ears?"
"Then possibly it is your good purpose to enforce the late king's edict against duelling, and send your guards to St. Germain to arrest the men before they engage?"
"Benone!" he sneered. "And what will Paris say if I now enforce a law that for ten years has been disregarded? That I feared for my nephew's skin and took this means of saving him. A pretty story to have on Paris's lips, would it not be?"
"Indeed, Monseigneur, you are right, but I doubt me the duel will needs be fought."