The game is up for the time being, and the spy is rushed out of the village by the Cocheforet servants, and is being hurried away across the frontier when he outwits his guards and returns to the village, having previously come into the possession (by accident) of the Cocheforet diamonds of immense value. Resisting the tempta tions to make off with these he finds the village in occupation of some ruffianly dragoons who proceed to take possession of the Chateau, and treat the poor ladies with brutal discourtesy. De Berault—scorn for his task of espionage now uppermost, and repcct for Mdlle. de Cocheforet deepening into love—returns the diamonds to the family, gains the esteem and love of the lady, and, famous duellist that he is, even swal lows a blow and an insult from the cap tain of the dragoons at her desire, ridding the house, however, of the ruffianly sol diery. Cion, the faithful servant, is flogged by the soldiers but rescued by De Berault, who constitutes himself the pro tector of the ladies, and is now determined to save the lord. To do this he antici pates the arrest they were about to make, seizes De Cocheforet himself, and thereby has to suffer the ignominy of his fair lady’s contempt. She believes that De Berault had betrayed her brother and wounds his pride to the quick by treating him as a traitor to the family of whom, however, ho is now the best friend. De Cocheforet gives his parole and is taken off, to Paris by De Berault, Mdlle. accompanying the pair. On the way, however, De Berault, sick to death of the task allotted to him by the Cardinal, releases his prisoner, the lady, of course, being once more his friend and admirer. In a powerful scene before the release he tells her his past life and then rides off to Paris back to the Cardinal and, as he thinks, certain death, De Cochefort and the lady returning, so De Berault thinks, to their home in the South. By a pure good woman, however, the adventurer has been brought to a proper sense of honour and ho rides on cheerfully to the expected dungeon and death. Arrived in Paris, however, he finds the Cardinal in tem porary disgrace, deserted by those who previously paid him honour, friondless and alone. 