“Did you wish a gay uniform, to please the maids, to––”
“No, I wish to know. We will say, if you like, that you have hoped to be a soldier,––a soldier of whom the King may one day have cause to be proud.”
Danton flushed, and bowed his head.
“I offered you the chance to go on this mission, Danton, because I believed in you. I believed that you had the making of a soldier. This is not a child’s errand, this of ours. It is the work of strong men. This morning I told you of my talk with the three Onondagas because I have planned to take you into my confidence, and to give you the chance to make a name for yourself. I made a point of the importance of keeping such things to yourself.”
“But Mademoiselle, M’sieu, she is different––”
“Look at the facts, Danton. I told you this morning: within twelve hours you have passed on your information. How do I know that you would not have let it slip to others if you had had the chance? You forget that Mademoiselle is a woman, and the first and last duty of a soldier is to tell no secrets to a woman.”
“You speak wrongly of Mademoiselle. It is cowardly to talk thus.”
Menard paused to get control of his temper. 77
“Cowardly, Danton? Is that the word you apply to your commander?”