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Axel Regor looked fixedly across at him, with a warning flash in the light of his cold languid eyes. "But how do you know that the King has given his word?" "It was in the paper," said Leroy, more guardedly; "I was reading about it, as you know, on the very night I encountered Thord." "Ah!
Pasquin Leroy was told that his two friends, Max Graub and Axel Regor must be with him, and he willingly made himself surety for their attendance. "But," said he, as he gave the promise, "what is the Day of Fate?" Johan Zegota pointed a thin finger delicately at his heart. "The Day of Fate," he said, "is the day of punishment, or Decision of Deaths.
"My white hairs my white hairs!" exclaimed Graub, when a touch from Axel Regor apparently recalled something to his mind for he began to laugh "True, gentlemen! Very true! I had forgotten! I have had some adventures and some experiences! My good friend there, Pasquin Leroy, has also had adventures and experiences, so have we all! Myself, I am a poor German, grown old in the service of a bad king!
Max Graub had drawn a blank, so had Axel Regor, so had Louis Valdor and many others. At last it came to Leroy's turn, and as he walked up to the platform and ascended it, there was a look on his face which attracted the instant attention of all present.
You stand in precisely the same danger as myself, or as any of us; you may draw the fatal Signal! but if you do, I promise you I will volunteer myself in your place." "You!" said Regor with a volume of meaning in the utterance; "You would stand in my place?" "Why, of course!" replied Leroy cheerily; "Life is not such a wonderful business, that death for a friend's sake is not better!"
"Was there ever such a drama as this?" muttered Graub, "He may lose his life at any moment!" "If he does," responded Regor, "It will not be our fault. We do our best to guard him from the consequence of one folly, and he straightway runs into another! There is no help for it; we have sworn to obey him, and we must keep our oath!"
"Are you content?" asked Johan Zegota, helping himself from the bottle that stood near him. "I? Why, no! I should not be here if I were!" "Discontent, then, is your chief bond of union?" said Axel Regor, beginning to take part in the conversation. "It is the very knot that ties us all together!" said Zouche with enthusiasm. "Discontent is the mother of progress!
"I trust you!" he then said curtly to Leroy, "and I think you will not betray my trust. If you do, it will be the worse for you!" His lips parted in a slight sinister smile, and the two who were respectively called Axel Regor and Max Graub, exchanged anxious glances. But Leroy showed no sign of hesitation or alarm.
Here interrupting himself with a bright smile, he said: "Will someone restrain my two friends, Max Graub and Axel Regor from springing out of their seats? They are both extremely envious of the task which has been allotted to me! both are disappointed that it did not fall to them to perform, but I am not in the humour for arguing so nice a point of honour with them just now!"
A low, deep murmur responded to his words, a sound like the snarl of wolves, deep, fierce, and passionate. A close observer might perhaps have detected a sudden pallor on Leroy's face as he heard this ominous growl, and an involuntary clenching of the hand on the part of Axel Regor. Max Graub looked up. "Ah so, my friends! You hate the King?" No answer was vouchsafed to this query.
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