“Your Majesty’s first steps have been cautious to admiration,” Morvan returned, with what seemed a half sneering laugh in his eye. “Yes. We have the game in hand, so far. We must be careful not to throw away the advantage.”
“We can hardly employ this desperado to put him out of the way, and recognise the service by receiving him at our Court.”
The speech was tentative; Morvan, though he so understood it, tactfully ignored the tone.
“Your Majesty has rightly seen that course would be preposterous,” he replied craftily. “Happily, there is no need for it. Yes; it would indeed be a false step to put yourself in the power of that unprincipled bravo. You would never be safe for an hour. But we—that is, your Majesty’s position is strong enough without running such a monstrous risk. The Ministers are yours, the Court is yours, the army is yours, and I make bold to assert from positive knowledge, from trusty reports, that the people are yours. What, then, is left for Ludwig, supposing, as is scarcely probable, that he has not already fallen a victim to that wolf’s fangs?”
“But, if not, he is still to be feared.”
Morvan’s look was darkly significant. “It will be our fault if ever he is in a position to trouble us.”
Ferdinand’s cunning eyes met the other’s responsively. “Then what better means could we employ than this discredited outlaw; the most natural and irresponsible instrument——?”
“And the most dangerous,” Morvan put in, pursing his lips and shaking his head. “Say we give him a free hand, and dangle royal favour before him. We should attach to the Court a restless, scheming, ambitious spirit, the utterly unscrupulous holder of a dangerous secret, and, above all, a man of whom the constant sight would be hateful to your Majesty. And to attempt to put him out of sight would be full of risk. No! For butcher’s work, one must live the life of a butcher. Blood is no sure cement for keeping on a crown. We have no Rollmar here, and so may well abjure his methods.”
“Our scheme and victory have so far been bloodless,” said Ferdinand meditatively.
“Long may they remain so,” replied his counsellor, heartily. “No, sire, I have a better plan than this brigand’s.”