'Then we shall have to conduct our conversation incognito, and say it never happened – as if it were a lovers' tryst,' I said, leaning a bit farther out the window, and beckoning him to ride a little closer. I was afraid he would swoon and get himself wrapped around the axle of our carriage. He maintained his balance with some effort, though, and drew so close that I was able to reach out and steady myself by putting my hand on the pommel of his saber. In a lower voice I continued: 'You have probably guessed that my uncle is a man of very high rank who has been sent out to these parts to execute the will of the King, in coming days.'