"Ah, excellency," and Trotto glanced at the throbbing arm, "you should have waited for Aramon's return, or taken us with you." But Simon broke in: "I tell you, Trotto, the plan was perfect, and if it had not been for the accident of that villain's coming our bird would have been here by this. Even when he came, if La Crotte had but stood his ground—but there! Give me some of that wine. My blood is red hot, and my throat on fire with the pain of this wound!"
Torquato Trotto filled a cup from a flagon that lay on the table near the Vidame. Simon took it from him with his left hand, drained it, and flung it from him, so that it struck the wainscoting of the wall, and fell with a crash on the floor.
"La Crotte shall hang for this," he went on savagely. "The cur! the coward!"
"You will make your wound worse, excellency. Be calm! There is time for things to mend."
"Time! When the whole affair has been bungled—and by you."
"By me, excellency?"
"Yes; if you had given me Piero and Malsain instead of those serving-wenches Billot and La Crotte."
Torquato lifted a deprecating hand. "They did well before, excellency; and Billot could not have done better, for he is dead, you say. And as for La Crotte——"
"He shall hang—hang to the first tree."
"As your excellency pleases. He has, however, to be caught first. But in the meantime I have intruded on you because I think we can yet save the game."