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Rh "You had no hesitation about giving it me."

"You!" A sneer this, of ineffable contempt, and de Proballe winced and bit his lip as his sallow cheeks paled.

"I have tried to serve you in this," he murmured.

"You had your wages to earn, that is all. Even this man knew of your old character in Paris. Do you think I am ignorant of it?"

The taunt cut deep, but de Proballe forced down his temper and answered with a laugh.

"Put not your faith in princes," he said, lightly. "If you mean that having first used me and now abused me you have no further need of my services, say so, and we'll make an end of things."

"I have no use for blunderers like you," declared the Duke, sullenly.

"Grant that a blunder has been made—as of course it has—and say if you like that I made it; whether is it better to waste time in wrangling over it or to see how to repair it?" He paused a moment to note how this was taken, and then added: "At least you have the man safe under bolts and bars."

"And in doing it have changed your niece's passive resistance into active violent hatred."

"Oh, if it comes to that, it would never have been a love match on her side;" and he laughed.

"To hell with your sneers," cried the Governor fiercely.

"Life's too sour a thing to be taken so seriously. I meant no taunt; no more than a fact. You would have had to force it; and will have to do no more now. Her rage will cool. As I say, you have the man and can treat him at will, either as the scamp de Cobalt or the spy I was able to prove him. Give her some few hours to think over his danger, and then see how far she'll be ready to go to save his life."

"Who can the fellow be?" De Proballe took heart