Grimaud was left alone with the executioner, who in a fewmoments opened his eyes.

"Help, help," he murmured; "oh, God! have I not a singlefriend in the world who will aid me either to live or todie?"

"Take courage," said Grimaud; "they are gone to findassistance."

"Who are you?" asked the wounded man, fixing his half openedeyes on Grimaud.

"An old acquaintance," replied Grimaud.

"You?" and the wounded man sought to recall the features ofthe person now before him.

"Under what circumstances did we meet?" he asked again.

"One night, twenty years ago, my master fetched you fromBethune and conducted you to Armentieres."

"I know you well now," said the executioner; "you were oneof the four grooms."

"Just so."

"Where do you come from now?"

"I was passing by and drew up at this inn to rest my horse.They told me the executioner of Bethune was here andwounded, when you uttered two piercing cries. At the firstwe ran to the door and at the second forced it open."

"And the monk?" exclaimed the executioner, "did you see themonk?"

"What monk?"

"The monk that was shut in with me."

"No, he was no longer here; he appears to have fled by thewindow. Was he the man that stabbed you?"

"Yes," said the executioner.

Grimaud moved as if to leave the room.

"What are you going to do?" asked the wounded man.

"He must be apprehended."

"Do not attempt it; he has revenged himself and has donewell. Now I may hope that God will forgive me, since mycrime is expiated."

"Explain yourself." said Grimaud.

"The woman whom you and your masters commanded me to kill- - "

"Milady?"

"Yes, Milady; it is true you called her thus."

"What has the monk to do with this Milady?"

"She was his mother."

Grimaud trembled and stared at the dying man in a dull andleaden manner.

"His mother!" he repeated.

"Yes, his mother."

"But does he know this secret, then?"

"I mistook him for a monk and revealed it to him inconfession."

"Unhappy man!" cried Grimaud, whose face was covered withsweat at the bare idea of the evil results such a revelationmight cause; "unhappy man, you named no one, I hope?"

"I pronounced no name, for I knew none, except his mother's,as a young girl, and it was by this name that he recognizedher, but he knows that his uncle was among her judges."

Thus speaking, he fell back exhausted. Grimaud, wishing torelieve him, advanced his hand toward the hilt of thedagger.

"Touch me not!" said the executioner; "if this dagger iswithdrawn I shall die."

Grimaud remained with his hand extended; then, striking hisforehead, he exclaimed:

"Oh! if this man should ever discover the names of theothers, my master is lost."

"Haste! haste to him and warn him," cried the wounded man,"if he still lives; warn his friends, too. My death, believeme, will not be the end of this atrocious misadventure."

"Where was the monk going?" asked Grimaud.

"Toward Paris."

"Who stopped him?"

"Two young gentlemen, who were on their way to join the armyand the name of one of whom I heard his companion mention - the Viscount de Bragelonne."

"And it was this young man who brought the monk to you? Thenit was the will of God that it should be so and this it iswhich makes it all so awful," continued Grimaud. "And yetthat woman deserved her fate; do you not think so?"

"On one's death-bed the crimes of others appear very smallin comparison with one's own," said the executioner; andfalling back exhausted he closed his eyes.

Grimaud was reluctant to leave the man alone and yet heperceived the necessity of starting at once to bear thesetidings to the Comte de la Fere. Whilst he thus hesitatedthe host re-entered the room, followed not only by asurgeon, but by many other persons, whom curiosity hadattracted to the spot. The surgeon approached the dying man,who seemed to have fainted.

"We must first extract the steel from the side," said he,shaking his head in a significant manner.

The prophecy which the wounded man had just uttered recurredto Grimaud, who turned away his head. The weapon, as we havealready stated, was plunged into the body to the hilt, andas the surgeon, taking it by the end, drew it forth, thewounded man opened his eyes and fixed them on him in amanner truly frightful. When at last the blade had beenentirely withdrawn, a red froth issued from the mouth of thewounded man and a stream of blood spouted afresh from thewound when he at length drew breath; then, fixing his eyesupon Grimaud with a singular expression, the dying manuttered the last death-rattle and expired.

Then Grimaud, lifting the dagger from the pool of bloodwhich was gliding along the room, to the horror of allpresent, made a sign to the host to follow him, paid himwith a generosity worthy of his master and again mounted hishorse. Grimaud's first intention had been to return toParis, but he remembered the anxiety which his prolongedabsence might occasion Raoul, and reflecting that there werenow only two miles between the vicomte and himself and aquarter of an hour's riding would unite them, and that thegoing, returning and explanation would not occupy an hour,he put spurs to his horse and a few minutes after hadreached the only inn of Mazingarbe.

Raoul was seated at table with the Count de Guiche and histutor, when all at once the door opened and Grimaudpresented himself, travel-stained, dirty, and sprinkled withthe blood of the unhappy executioner.

"Grimaud, my good Grimaud!" exclaimed Raoul "here you are atlast! Excuse me, sirs, this is not a servant, but a friend.How did you leave the count?" continued he. "Does he regretme a little? Have you seen him since I left him? Answer, forI have many things to tell you, too; indeed, the last threedays some odd adventures have happened - but what is thematter? how pale you are! and blood, too! What is this?"

"It is the blood of the unfortunate man whom you left at theinn and who died in my arms."

"In your arms? - that man! but know you who he was?"

"He used to be the headsman of Bethune."

"You knew him? and he is dead?"

"Yes."

"Well, sir," said D'Arminges, "it is the common lot; even anexecutioner is not exempted. I had a bad opinion of him themoment I saw his wound, and since he asked for a monk youknow that it was his opinion, too, that death would follow."

At the mention of the monk, Grimaud became pale.

"Come, come," continued D'Arminges, "to dinner;" for likemost men of his age and generation he did not allowsentiment or sensibility to interfere with a repast.

"You are right, sir," said Raoul. "Come, Grimaud, orderdinner for yourself and when you have rested a little we cantalk."

"No, sir, no," said Grimaud. "I cannot stop a moment; I muststart for Paris again immediately."

"What? You start for Paris? You are mistaken; it is Olivainwho leaves me; you are to remain."

"On the contrary, Olivain is to stay and I am to go. I havecome for nothing else but to tell you so."

"But what is the meaning of this change?"

"I cannot tell you."

"Explain yourself."

"I cannot explain myself."

"Come, tell me, what is the joke?"

"Monsieur le vicomte knows that I never joke."

"Yes, but I know also that Monsieur le Comte de la Ferearranged that you were to remain with me and that Olivainshould return to Paris. I shall follow the count'sdirections."

"Not under present circumstances, monsieur."

"Perhaps you mean to disobey me?"

"Yes, monsieur, I must."

"You persist, then?"

"Yes, I am going; may you be happy, monsieur," and Grimaudsaluted and turned toward the door to go out.

Raoul, angry and at the same time uneasy, ran after him andseized him by the arm. "Grimaud!" he cried; "remain; I wishit."

"Then," replied Grimaud, "you wish me to allow monsieur lecomte to be killed." He saluted and made a movement todepart.

"Grimaud, my friend," said the viscount, "will you leave methus, in such anxiety? Speak, speak, in Heaven's name!" AndRaoul fell back trembling upon his chair.

"I can tell you but one thing, sir, for the secret you wishto know is not my own. You met a monk, did you not?"

"Yes."

The young men looked at each other with an expression offear.

"You conducted him to the wounded man and you had time toobserve him, and perhaps you would know him again were youto meet him."

"Yes, yes!" cried both young men.

"Very well; if ever you meet him again, wherever it may be,whether on the high road or in the street or in a church,anywhere that he or you may be, put your foot on his neckand crush him without pity, without mercy, as you wouldcrush a viper or a scorpion! destroy him utterly and quithim not until he is dead; the lives of five men are notsafe, in my opinion, as long as he is on the earth."

And without adding another word, Grimaud, profiting by theastonishment and terror into which he had thrown hisauditors, rushed from the room. Two minutes later thethunder of a horse's hoofs was heard upon the road; it wasGrimaud, on his way to Paris. When once in the saddleGrimaud reflected on two things; first, that at the pace hewas going his horse would not carry him ten miles, andsecondly, that he had no money. But Grimaud's ingenuity wasmore prolific than his speech, and therefore at the firsthalt he sold his steed and with the money obtained from thepurchase took post horses.