“Excuse me, monsieur,” said Henri, “the king absolves from oaths and promises by saying, ‘I will, or I will not,’ for the king is all-powerful. Tell these gentlemen, therefore, that I have menaced you with all my anger it you come to blows; and that you may not doubt it yourselves, I swear to exile you, if——”
“Stop! sire; do not swear; because, if for such a cause we have merited your anger, and this anger shows itself by exiling us, we will go into exile with joy, because, being no longer on your majesty’s territories, we can then keep our promises, and meet our adversaries.”
“If these gentlemen approach you within range of an arquebuse, I will throw them all into the Bastile.”
“Sire, if you do so we will all go barefooted, and with cords round our necks, to M. Testu, the governor, and pray to be incarcerate with them.”
“I will have them beheaded, then; I am king, I hope.”
“We will cut our throats at the foot of their scaffold.”
Henri kept silent for a long time; then, raising his eyes, said, “God will surely bless a cause defended by such noble hearts.”
“Yes, they are noble hearts,” said Chicot, rising; “do what they wish, and fix a day for their meeting. It is your duty, my son.”
“Oh I mon Dieu! mon Dieu!” murmured Henri.
“Sire, we pray you,” cried all the four gentlemen, bending their knees.