"Did you not kidnap Réginard, vicomte de Pérégrin? Eh bien," continued the Count in a voice that abashed and terrified the bandit chief, so that he could do nothing but grovel on the ground and whimper nice master, "this young man is one of my friends, this young man lodges at my tree-hotel, this young man was flying over the treetops of Lottaloria on my eagle, and yet, I repeat, you have kidnapped him as if he were le premier venu and held him for ransom, sending this letter" – he contemptuously tossed the ransom note at Vanya – "to my friend the Baron d'Imrahil. Unless you make immediate reparation for this affront" – he again held up the Ring, and one or two thunderclaps resounded through the hall – "I shall take this Ring and command you to leap from a precipice; and you will obey. For such would be my command."
Luigi Vanya turned to his band, who withered before his gaze as the Two Cheeses withered under the absinthe of Ungolianne. "Why did none of you inform me that the prisoner was a friend of the Count, who holds the power of life and death in his hand? By the sword of Turin! If I thought any of you knew that the young man was a friend of His Excellency, I would hurt him with nasty cruel steel!"
At this, Luigi became aware of Arafrantz's presence, and said, anxiously, "Your Excellency is not alone?"
"I am with the person to whom the ransom note was addressed, and to whom I wanted to show that Luigi Vanya is a faithful servant and not a master's bane."
