The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-12-25
CHAPTER VIII Continued

been vrested from the sergeant OF police.
ICHAPTER VIII Continued
-HE lieutenant read the letter with
great care, lit failed TO say
whether or not the signature was
familiar to him. He looked up
at last and said gc-.sally:
You have endured a long journey.
I NJ de Cardilac- May / offer you
Ifiagon of wine? We pride ourselves on
our vintages in Beaugency.
! L thank you. lieutenant I know the
/ wine Of BeaugenCy well, and the land
I lord has promised me a draft that is ten
years old, so / shall cherish my thirst
/ until meal time
LIeu-enant de Four did not press his
invitation He saw that The other was
| on his guard, and dared not risk that
| looseninS Of the tongue which induI-
gence IN generous wine might produce
! While the Lieutenant mentally commend
/ ed this discretion, he became more as
] Sured that there was in the background
a conspiracy Of some sort designed TO
Ientrap him into dereHCtiou OF duty. so
/ his suavity increased. causing him 70
! ask his questions with all the courtesy
/ of a CouTtier.
! ''You bring me, then. no orders from
/ my chief, General Iissot, stationed at
| Orleausg'
81 bring orders - you from no one.
/ Lieutenant / do hot presume TO give
YOU an order myself. I merely desire 10
/ formulate request, 20 which you viii
/ AGA lie or not, as you choose
| 1t seems strange, NJ. de CardillaC,
/ that your superiors, lt, as L imagine,
/ they are also the superiors Of my gen
eral, should pass him by and prefer a
/ request 10 his subordinate
/ why does that seem strange TO you,
lieutenant You must be profoundly
! ignorant OF the working of the machin-
cry pertaining TO high politics If you
do not know that there are many things
done where II is desirable that no writ
ten record shall be left behind
/ But 1t was surely n simple matter to
! communicate verDa -ly with che general
who could have sent forward a mes
seuger, known and trusted by me. from
whom i could have taken a cOmmuni-
cation by word Of mouth
/ Does IL not occur 90 you, Lieutenant,
! that the government may not wish Cen
eral Tissot 10 know anything about this
AFFAIR." But, aside from that. as I told
you, time IS OF the greatest value in
this instance. Suppose 4 had been sent
10 Orleans, had sought CU- General lis
soft rad taken as long TO convince him
OF my good faith as I have taken with
I you, suppose, then, he had found the
trustworthy man, and suppose that
man had come 10 you There is then
INTERCEPTED into "a most secret matter
two quite uuueCe. saTy DCrs1uages, and
some valuable time is lost"
. n. III fn|L.u
have come by Orleans as quickly as by
way of Chattauduu. You could have
brought me a note from General lis
sot telling me TO obey your orders. and
TO do this fl would not have been neces-
sary TO inform General TissOt about
your mission, nor 20 inform a messenger
between the general and myself, nor
10 inform me. Thus, instead of adding
Cret, you are actually eliminating one.
which is myself. ] have no desire 10
inquire into your plans, but would have
done without question " hatever was
asked Of me at word from my gen
/ craI"
my dear lieutenant, viii YOU pardon
me for pointing ont 10 YOU that you
are Criticisiug, not me. but n de Luyues
or Louis XII-the prime minister or the
/ King. Unless II is impossible for me 20
do otherwise. ] shall not pass on %
either your opinion Of their strategy"
| Are YOU vcutUring TO threaten me-
VI. de Carduiac2'
"Oh. no. ann merely becoming a
litJle impatient with you May ask
how Old this General Tlssot is-'
what has that 90 do with the ques
tiou2"
Even ir 1t has nothing L, do with
it. would YOU mind answering mc2'
General Tiss0t is man of about
sixty. prrhau- siNty-tIroc OF four"
/ quite SO; just the reply ] expected
fer Lieutenant. YOU DO not realize
the significance Of the recent change of
into power "a government OF young men.
THE King is younger than either YOU
or I, and his prime minister is not
much older. / suppose that H. dc
Luyues-rewcTIaer I am advancing this
merely as my own tlsOTy-segS ahead
OF him "A struggle FOR supremacy.
venture again chat 'ue generals who
viii lead De Luvncs army VIII not Doe
men OF ajNtv-IOur. Z believe that he
fore this struggle comes on, H. de
Trrn,s i'm ono way or another. viii
n..H.