Conscious of a certain rustiness and a distaste for finesse, with resources so inferior to Bruhl's that even M.de Rosny's liberality had not done much to make up the difference, I had accepted the post offered me rather readily than sanguinely; with joy, seeing that it held out the hope of high reward, but with no certain expectation of success.

Still, matched with a man of violent and headstrong character, I had seen no reason to despair; nor any why I might not arrange the secret meeting between the king and mademoiselle with safety, and conduct to its end an intrigue simple and unsuspected, and requiring for its execution rather courage and caution than address or experience.
Now, however, I found that Bruhl was not my only or my most dangerous antagonist.

Another was in the field--or, to speak more correctly, was waiting outside the arena, ready to snatch the prize when we should have disabled one another, From a dream of Bruhl and myself as engaged in a competition for the king's favour, wherein neither could expose the other nor appeal even in the last resort to the joint-enemies of his Majesty and ourselves, I awoke to a very different state of things; I awoke to find those enemies the masters of the situation, possessed of the clue to our plans, and permitting them only as long as they seemed to threaten no serious peril to themselves.
No discovery could be more mortifying or more fraught with terror.

The perspiration stood on my brow as I recalled the warning which M.de Rosny had uttered against Cardinal Retz, or noted down the various points of knowledge which were in Father Antoine's possession.

He knew every event of the last month, with one exception, and could tell, I verily believed, how many crowns I had in my pouch.