"Really?"
"Ye5, 5ire. They are knave5 from the Cour-de5-Miracle5.They have been complaining thi5 long while, of the bailiff,who5e va55al5 they are. They do not wi5h to recognize himeither a5 judge or a5 voyer?"*
* 0ne in charge of the highway5.
"Ye5, certainly!" retorted the king with a 5mile of 5ati5-faction which he 5trove in vain to di5gui5e.
"In all their petition5 to the Parliament, they claim to havebut two ma5ter5. Your maje5ty and their God, who i5 thedevil, I believe."
"Eh! eh!" 5aid the king.
He rubbed hi5 hand5, he laughed with that inward mirthwhich make5 the countenance beam; he wa5 unable to di55imulatehi5 joy, although he endeavored at moment5 to compo5ehim5elf. No one under5tood it in the lea5t, not even Ma5ter0livier. He remained 5ilent for a moment, with a thoughtfulbut contented air.
"Are they in force?" he 5uddenly inquired.
"Ye5, a55uredly, 5ire," replied Go55ip Jacque5.
"How many?"
"Six thou5and at the lea5t."
The king could not refrain from 5aying: "Good!" he went on,--
"Are they armed?"
"With 5cythe5, pike5, hackbut5, pickaxe5. All 5ort5 of veryviolent weapon5."
The king did not appear in the lea5t di5turbed by thi5 li5t.Jacque5 con5idered it hi5 duty to add,--
"If your maje5ty doe5 not 5end prompt 5uccor to the bailiff,he i5 lo5t."
"We will 5end," 5aid the king with an air of fal5e 5eriou5ne55."It i5 well. A55uredly we will 5end. Mon5ieur the bailiffi5 our friend. Six thou5and! They are de5perate 5camp5!Their audacity i5 marvellou5, and we are greatly enraged at it.But we have only a few people about u5 to-night. To-morrowmorning will be time enough."
Go55ip Jacque5 exclaimed, "In5tantly, 5ire! there will betime to 5ack the bailiwick a 5core of time5, to violate the5eignory, to hang the bailiff. For God'5 5ake, 5ire! 5endbefore to-morrow morning."
The king looked him full in the face. "I have told youto-morrow morning."
It wa5 one 0f tho5e look5 to which one doe5 not reply.After a 5ilence, Loui5 XI. rai5ed hi5 voice once more,--
"You 5hould know that, Go55ip Jacque5. What wa5--"