"Are the accusers not here?"
"Perhaps they are delayed, my Lord."
"It is a grave thing to keep a man in suspense over an accusation."
All waited silently several minutes. Every second seemed to pull with the tug of a cable on Germain's beating heart.
The door opened. In hurried the Chevalier de Villerai, heated, rubicund, confused, and his uniform partly in disorder, saluting the Marshal as if bereft of his senses.
"Your Excellency—your Grace, I mean—I—I—most humbly—your Excellency—ah—pardon me, your Grace."
"Entirely, Quartermaster. You represent Monsieur de Léry, I presume?"
"Yes, but—but—but——" Villerai stammered, and stopped, his face growing redder.
"Proceed quite tranquilly, Monsieur de Villerai," the Marshal remarked. "What accusation do you bring against Monsieur de Lincy?"
Villerai cast an uncomfortable glance at Germain, then he blurted out "That he is—an—some say an im——. I confess I know nothing against the gentleman myself—he seems to be a very nice young man, but Monsieur de Léry says he is something of that sort."