"Ah! a truculent man, but a brave soldier," said Jean. "What's his crime, and what will they do with him?"
"I know not the crime, but he's like to end there," was the answer as the man pointed to the top of the gate.
"That will be waste of good material," said Jean. "I must speak to the Count about it. Meanwhile the smell of that coffee haunts me." And he moved toward the door.
The man who told Count Felix that the dwarf had come to the castle, told him also that Jean was strange and talked of visions he had seen.
"Bring him to me here, at once. I will see him alone."
It was in a superstitious frame of mind that Felix had had the dwarf searched for. Deep in his schemes, with enemies constantly about him, and living in hourly uncertainty of what might happen, he was in the mood to augur good or ill from dreams and visions.
"I have sought for you everywhere," he said when Jean entered and the man who had brought him had gone.
"You were unfortunate in not finding me," said the dwarf, with a grotesque bow. "I am always at the Duke's service."
"Tell me, Jean, why do you call me Duke? You are in advance of time. The crown has not yet touched this head of mine."
"We speak of to-morrow ere the sun has risen upon it," the dwarf answered.