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Bah! There never was such a king! And that this man, who has for three years left us to the mercy of the most accursed cheat and scoundrel minister that ever was in power, has now declared his opposition to the Jesuits', is more than I will or can believe." "If it were true?" suggested Zegota, with a more than usually vicious tug at his beard.
"You do not ask me," he said then, "whether I have been able to serve your Cause in any way since last we met?" "This is not our regular meeting," said Johan Zegota; "We ask no questions till the general monthly assembly." "I see!"
"Speak, Zouche!" said the King; "Whatever strange conclusion your poetic brain discovers, doubt not but that we shall accept it, from !" "Accept it? I should think so!" cried Zouche; "You are bound to accept it whether you like it or not; there is no other way out of it!" "Well, what is it?" repeated Zegota impatiently; "Declare it!"
All the men present looked at him curiously, but said nothing in response to his outburst. Johan Zegota, seating himself next to Sergius Thord, opened a large parchment volume that lay on the table, and taking up a pen addressed himself to Thord, saying "Will you ask the questions, or shall I?" "You, by all means! Proceed in the usual manner." Whereupon Zegota began. "Stand forth, comrades!"
The audience was beginning to file out of the hall in orderly groups. "What next?" said Graub; "Shall ye go?" "I suppose so," said Leroy, with a quick sigh, and forcing a smile; "But I should have liked to speak with her " At that moment his shoulder was touched by a man he recognised as Johan Zegota. He gave the sign of the Revolutionary Committee bond, to which Leroy and his comrades responded.
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.
"Have I ever denied it?" exclaimed Zegota warmly "But I have said, and I say again that I believe the news is true, and that these howling hypocrites, " this with an angry gesture of his hand towards the open square where the chanting priests who headed the procession were coming into view "have truly received an unlooked-for check from the King!"
Johan Zegota advanced a little in front of all the rest. "Every man is welcome to serve us who will serve us faithfully," he said. "But who are these new comrades, Sergius Thord? What are they?" "That they must declare for themselves," said Thord, taking a chair at the head of the table which was evidently his accustomed place "Put them through their examination!"
But Lotys herself sat very silent, almost as silent as Sergius Thord, who, though he drank the toast, remained moody and abstracted. When the company dispersed that night, each man present was carefully reminded by the secretary, Johan Zegota, that unless the most serious illness or misfortune intervened, every one must attend the next meeting, as it was the yearly "Day of Fate."
At last all the lots were taken, and Johan Zegota lit up the gas- burners in the centre of the room. A sigh of relief came from the lips of many of the men who, on opening their papers found a blank instead of a name.
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