“Do you know what you are thinking of,” said he quickly, for he was beaten and he did not like to dwell at that point.
“Faith, I do not.”
“Why, the thought strikes you that your young mistress may wake up in the night and call you. This would raise the alarm before you got well away.”
“I never thought of that, but I do now, and that I had better stay.”
“Then Beausire will be caught and will expose you.”
“Never mind: Mdlle. Andrea is kind and will speak to the King, in whose good graces she is, and he will pardon me my offense.”
The marshal bit his lip.
“I tell you that Nicole is a fool. Mdlle. Andrea is not in the King’s good graces as deeply as you may suppose and I will have you locked up where good graces have no effect in softening the straw bed or shortening the whiplash.”
“Stay—How can my mistress be prevented from rising and ringing in the night for Nicole? She might be up a dozen times.”
“Oh, troubled with my complaint, insomnia. She ought to take the remedy I do: and if she would not, you could make her do it.”