de
Saintonge continued bitterly, "only for fair play and no favour.
And for M. de Clan who is a Republican at heart, and a Bironist,
and has never done anything but thwart the King, for him to come
now, and--faugh! it makes me sick."
"Yes," I said drily; "I see."
"You understand me?"
"Yes," I said, "I think so."
"Very well," he replied haughtily--he had gradually wrought
himself into a passion; "be good enough to bear my request in
mind then; and my services also. I ask no more, M. de Rosny,
than is due to me and to the King's honour."
And with that, and scarcely an expression of civility, he left
me. Some may wonder, I know, that, having in the Edict of Blois,
which forbade duelling and made it a capital offence, an answer
to convince even his arrogance, I did not use this weapon; but,
as a fact, the edict was not published until the following June,
when, partly in consequence of this affair and at my instance,
the King put it forth.
Saintonge could scarcely have cleared the gates before his
prediction was fulfilled.
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