All! All! There shall
not be one left to say to me, 'You did it!'"
"Softly, sire," Tavannes answered; for Charles had gradually raised his
voice. "You will be observed."
For the first time the young King--he was but twenty-two years old, God
pity him!--looked at his companion.
"To be sure," he whispered; and his eyes grew cunning. "Besides, and
after all, there's another way, if I choose. Oh, I've thought and
thought, I'd have you know." And shrugging his shoulders, almost to his
ears, he raised and lowered his open hands alternately, while his back
hid the movement from the Chamber. "See-saw! See-saw!" he muttered.
"And the King between the two, you see. That's Madame's king-craft.
She's shown me that a hundred times. But look you, it is as easy to
lower the one as the other," with a cunning glance at Tavannes' face, "or
to cut off the right as the left. And--and the Admiral's an old man and
will pass; and for the matter of that I like to hear him talk. He talks
well. While the others, Guise and his kind, are young, and I've thought,
oh, yes, I've thought--but there," with a sudden harsh laugh, "my lady
mother will have it her own way. And for this time she shall, but, All!
All! Even Foucauld, there! Do you mark him. He's sorting the cards.
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