"'Boundier of the battalion of Morie.' I replied.
"'A soldier of the usurper, then?'
"'Of the army of Arnor.'
"'Eh bien, he lived by the sword, and died by it. If you go to war - needlessly, for the Aragons did not desire it, only the ambitions of your usurper - then people will be slain. What is the House of Sharcoléon but a thatched barn in appalling First Empire taste, where brigands drink in the reek of cheap cigars, and their brats roll on the floor among the dogs? Too long have they escaped the guillotine themselves.'
"'What! Monseigneur, is it possible that you speak to me thus, you, who are a magistrate!' I cried.
"'All these Balrogues are insane, my word of honor!' replied Villefaramir. 'And they think their compatriot is still emperor. You have made a slight error of the date, mon cher; and your precious master is a beggar in the wilderness. Go then, and if you do not go I will have you escorted.'
"I looked and saw at once that the heart of that man was as cold and as impregnable as the fortress of Ortanco. I approached him.
