The captor of La Tournoire can afford to earn
Montignac's displeasure by deviating from his orders. Should you take
this Huguenot, you would be in a position to snap your fingers at
Montignac."
"But if it is in your power to give up La Tournoire, why do you not take
him and get the reward? Why have you not done so already?"
"For the very fact which puts it in my power to do so. I am of his party.
I am his trusted counsellor, lackey that I pretend to be."
"I have, from the first, thought you a most exceptional lackey. But if
you are of his party, and in his secrets, you must be a vile traitor to
give him up. That being the case, you would not hesitate to lie to me.
Indeed, even if it were not the case, you would not hesitate to lie to
me, to save yourself or to gain time."
"As to my being a vile traitor, a man will descend to much in order to
save his life. As to my readiness to lie to you, it seems to me that,
in the present situation, you are the one man to whom I cannot now
afford to lie. With your sword at my throat, it is much easier for me
to be a vile traitor to La Tournoire than to lie to you. Besides, I
have my own reasons for disliking him, notwithstanding that my cause
and his are the same."
"And how do you propose to give him up to me?"
"By merely bringing him face to face with you."
"_Par dieu_! A charming proposition! How do I know that you will not, in
pretending to betray him to me, really betray me to him? Suppose you do
bring him face to face with me, and his men are all around?"
"Only one of his men shall be present," I said, thinking of Blaise.
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