She went to the window, and unbarring the shutters, opened it. The streets were wet and glistening below, but the clouds had cleared, and a pale watery moon shone out fitfully from the misty sky.
“Say good-night, and part;” she continued. “It is time! This day month we will meet here again,—and our new comrades will then report what progress they have made in the matter of Carl Pérousse.”
“Tell me,” said Leroy, approaching her, “What would you do, Madame, if you had determined, on proving the corruption and falsehood of this at present highly-honoured servant of the State?”
“I should gain access to his chief tool, David Jost, by means of the Prime Minister’s signet,” said Lotys,—“If I could get the signet!—which I cannot! Nor can you! But if I could, I should persuade Jost to talk freely, and so betray himself. He and Carl Pérousse move the Premier and the King whichever way they please.”
“Is that so—?” began Leroy, when he was answered by a dozen voices at once:—
“The King is a fool!”
“The King is a slave!”
“The King accepts everything that is set before him as being rightly and wisely ordained,—and never enquires into the justice of what is done!”
“The King assumes to be the friend of the People, but if you ask him to do anything for the People, you only get the secretary’s usual answer—‘His Majesty regrets that it is impossible to take any action in the matter’!”
“Wait!—wait!—” said Leroy, with a gesture which called for a moment’s silence; “The question is,—Could the King do anything if he would?”