"The March air," replied Granvelle, "is too keen to give a relish to this banter of wits with boys and roysterers."
"We wish no conversation with Your Eminence," cried Adolphus angrily; "you might have driven on, for us, without a word."
"I am sorry," said the Cardinal, with a keen look at Montigny; "yea, I say again that I am sorry to see the Stadtholder of Hainault in such company."
With this remark, which Adolphus and Hoogstraaten received as an insult and Montigny as a threat, Granvelle signalled to the coachmen and leant back in his seat.
As the carriage drove on up the slope, Montigny looked anxiously for Brederode.
"Where is he? Fled?" Adolphus asked.
But a shout of laughter answered them; the Count was standing at the corner under the shrine and pointing after the Cardinal's carriage.
When the other three cavaliers looked in this direction they could not forbear laughter either. On the back of the carriage in which Granvelle was taking his stately departure was pasted the lampoon and the picture of His Eminence hastening along with the Devil.
While the others had been using their wits, Brederode had used his paste-brush, and to greater effect.
"Par le Cordieu!" cried the Count, "his face will turn yellow when he sees that!"