Morgan approached and laid one finger on the paper while the prisoner wrote.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"Yes," replied the young man.
"I die because I have broken a sacred oath; consequently I acknowledge that I deserve death. If you wish to give my body Christian burial, it will be placed to-night in the market-place at Bourg. The dagger which will be found implanted in my breast will indicate that I do not die the victim of cowardly assassination, but of a just vengeance."
Morgan then drew from beneath his robe a dagger of which both handle and blade were forged from a single piece of metal. It was shaped in the form of a cross so that the condemned could kiss it in his last moments instead of a crucifix.
"If you wish, sir," said Morgan, "we will accord you the favor of striking your own death-blow. Here is the dagger. Is your hand sure enough?"
The young man pondered an instant. Then he said: "No, I fear that I should fail."
"Very well," said Morgan, "affix the address to your letter."
The young man folded the letter and wrote: "Mademoiselle Diane de Fargas, Nîmes."
"Now, sir," said Morgan, "you have just ten minutes in which to make your peace with God."