humiliated and in despair at seeing the power she expected to wield on the death of the king passing into the hands of the Guises, alarmed at the empire of the young queen, Mary, niece of the Lorrains and their auxiliary, Queen Catherine is doubtless inclined to lend her support to the princes and lords who are now about to make an attempt which will deliver her from the Guises.  At this moment, devoted as she may seem to them, she hates them; she desires their overthrow, and will try to make use of us against them; but Monseigneur the Prince de Conde intends to make use of her against all.  The queen-mother will, undoubtedly, consent to all our plans.  We shall have the Connetable on our side; Monseigneur has just been to see him at Chantilly; but he does not wish to move without an order from his masters.  Being the uncle of Monseigneur, he will not leave him in the lurch; and this generous prince does not hesitate to fling himself into danger to force Anne de Montmorency to a decision.  All is prepared, and we have cast our eyes on you as the means of communicating to Queen Catherine our treaty of alliance, the drafts of edicts, and the bases of the new government.  The court is at Blois.  Many of our friends are with it; but they are to be our future chiefs, and, like Monseigneur,” he added, motioning to the prince, “they must not be suspected.  The queen-mother and our friends are so closely watched that it is impossible to employ as intermediary any known person of importance; they would instantly be suspected and kept from communicating with Madame Catherine.  God sends us at this crisis the shepherd David and his sling to do battle with Goliath of Guise.  Your father, unfortunately for him a good Catholic, is furrier to the two queens.  He is constantly supplying them with garments.  Get him to send you on some errand to the court.  You will excite no suspicion, and you cannot compromise Queen Catherine in any way.  All our leaders would lose their heads if a single imprudent act allowed their connivance with the queen-mother to be seen.  Where a great lord, if discovered, would give the alarm and destroy our chances, an insignificant man like you will pass unnoticed.  See!  The Guises keep the town so full of spies that we have only the river where we can talk without fear.  You are now, my son, like a sentinel who must die at his post.  Remember this:  if you are discovered, we shall all abandon you; we shall even cast, if necessary, opprobrium and infamy upon you.  We shall say that you are a creature of the Guises, made to play this part to ruin us.  You see therefore that we ask of you a total sacrifice.”

“If you perish,” said the Prince de Conde, “I pledge my honor as a noble that your family shall be sacred for the house of Navarre; I will bear it on my heart and serve it in all things.”

“Those words, my prince, suffice,” replied Christophe, without reflecting that the conspirator was a Gascon.  “We live in times when each man, prince or burgher, must do his duty.”