"Leoni," interrupted the King, "what are you writing?"

"A suggestion, sir, to offer you."

The King crossed the chamber, and, leaning over Leoni's shoulder, read out the words:

"To our well-beloved Cousin, Henry, King of England.

"Dear Cousin and King,--

"The bearer of this our letter, the n.o.ble Comte Reginald Herault de la Seine of Angomar and Villay, is our good friend. We ask you to receive him as such, and to permit him to see your Court, of which all the world speaks, and your kingdom of England, whose power is so beneficent and so mighty an agent of Heaven's will on this earth."

"Will it serve, sir?" asked Leoni.

"Of course!" cried the King; and s.n.a.t.c.hing the pen from the doctor's hand, he took the letter to the other side of the table and clumsily scribbled down a signature. "There," he cried, tossing the letter back; "will that do?"

Leoni fixed him with his eyes and shrugged his shoulders slightly, and his peculiar cynical smile played about his lips.

"I wish, Leoni, you wouldn't stare at me like that," cried the King petulantly. "Yes. I know; it is bad--not like your regular writing. I don't pa.s.s my time handling a pen."

"I was not thinking of the writing, sir, but of the signature."

"Oh, I see," cried the King; "I am not used to it. I shall write it better by-and-by. Well, won't that one do?"

"Your lordship had not thought before you put pen to paper."

"Yes, I did; I thought that the sooner I got it over the better. Well, what do you want now?"

"I was wondering," said Leoni, with a mocking smile, "what King Henry would think of a Comte de la Seine who writes a letter in the King's name to introduce himself."

"Bah!" cried the King angrily. "What an idiot! No; it was my honest nature rebelling against deceit. Here, Leoni, what's to be done?"

"I'll write the letter over again, sir, and you will sign it this time as the King."

"Good!" murmured Francis.

The letter was rewritten, and the King signed.

"With this pa.s.sport, sir, King Henry's Court at Windsor will be free to you and to yours."

"Excellent," said the King, and he glanced at the doc.u.ment endorsed with the royal signature--"Francois, R."--at which he smiled with self-satisfaction. "Now nothing more remains to be done."

The King looked fixedly at his servant, and then laid his hand on the latter's arm.

"It is good," he said. "What you have done is well done. Leoni, with mind and sword you have served me well, and that France which we both love with loyalty and faith. And now--now that we are nearing our journey's end, you hold it still to be the truth that Henry guards jealously in his possession this jewel, which in his hands is an agent for the downfall of France?"

"I hold it to be true, sir," said Leoni solemnly, and he laid his hand on a little golden crucifix which lay on the table before him. "I hold it to be true, and that the old ambition which brought the English hordes to our country is kept alive by the influence of that jewel. He will serve France well who reclaims it and restores it to its rightful place--your crown, Sire." And the speaker dropped on one knee, but the King motioned him to rise.

"Not now," he said; "not now." And then, as his royal master appeared to be lost in thought, Leoni went on; "Never, sir, would I have brought this matter to your notice, deeply though it concerns the welfare of France, had I not been convinced."

"And why so?"

"Because, sir, I knew your nature--reckless, valiant, ready to risk all, ay, even your life, when the interests of your country are involved."

"And rightly so. It is as a Valois should act, as a Valois will act to the end."

"Yes, sir; and yet I dreaded at first to speak, for I foresaw something of what would happen, since to those who study deeply a vision of the future is vouchsafed at times, and I realised even then what might be your resolve--namely, to undertake the perilous quest yourself."

"It was for France."

"Yes, sir--"

And then the King, in a softened voice, said slowly:

"You blame me, Leoni?"

"It is not for such as I to blame. All that you have done, sir, is good; but there is the future. Of that we will take thought. You are in a strange land, sir, amidst people who to-morrow may be foes. You are far from the army which would follow you to death, and to meet the dangers which may come into your path there are but three swords, three loyal hearts."

"And they will be enough," said the King. "Leoni, old friend, you must have no fear."

"I have none, sir."

"Well," said the King, "between ourselves, Leoni, I have. This thing begins to look more awkward now we are getting so near. King Henry is always very civil to me in his letters, and no doubt he will give the Comte de la Loire--"

"Seine, sir--Seine."

"Bah! Yes, of course. I knew it was some river. I say: I mustn't make such a mistake as that again, or he will find me out. Here, hadn't we better change the name to something else? Seine--Seine--it's rather a stupid name."

"Too late, sir," said Leoni earnestly. "You must hold to it now. But you were about to say something, my lord."

"Yes, of course," cried the King hastily. "Suppose Henry does find me out, and has got me there. Why, by my sword, Leoni, he'll hold me to ransom, and instead of my getting back that one jewel he'll make me give up my whole crown."

"No, sir; no, sir," cried Leoni earnestly. "Have more faith in yourself, and go forward. You cannot turn back now. You will soon get used to the part you a.s.sume, and it will be easy."

"I don't know so much about that," said the King. "I am a bad actor.

Why, you can't keep it up yourself. If I hadn't stopped you just now you'd have been down upon your knees to kiss my hand."

"That was only my reverence and duty to my King."

"Yes, I know," said Francis angrily; "but just recollect that you have no king now, and let's have no reverence, for if you get me regularly into trouble over this, good a servant as you have been to me, your friends will have to prepare your tomb, a short one too, for you will lose your head."

"In the service of my country and my lord, sir," said Leoni calmly. "I shall have done my duty. But we shall not fail."

CHAPTER TWENTY.

THE KING'S BULLIES.