"One of us," said Birague.
"By my faith," said Gondi, "I promise to make the King as pliant as the King of Navarre."
"You let the late King die to save your other children; well, then, do as the grand Signors of Constantinople do: crush this one's passions and fancies," said Albert de Gondi. "He likes the arts, poetry, hunting, and a little girl he saw at Orleans; all this is quite enough to occupy him."
"Then you would be the King's tutor?" said Catherine, to the more capable of the two Gondis.
"If you will give me the necessary authority; it might be well to make me a Marshal of France and a Duke. Cypierre is too small a man to continue in that office. Henceforth the tutor of a King of France should be a Marshal and Duke, or something of the kind——"
"He is right," said Birague.
"Poetry and hunting," said Catherine, in a dreamy voice.
"We will hunt and make love!" cried Gondi.
"Besides," said Chiverni, "you are sure of Amyot, who will always be afraid of a drugged cup in case of disobedience, and with Gondi you will have the King in leading strings."
"You were resigned to the loss of one son to save the three others and the Crown; now you must have the courage to keep this one occupied to save the kingdom—to save yourself perhaps," said Ruggieri.