"
As he spoke there came a faint click at the latch of the tower door.
Thibaut waved his companions apart.
"Keep close," he said, and four of the pilgrim forms disappeared
swiftly into the spaces of shadow. Only Thibaut and Ren? remained,
standing masked and attentive, their eyes fixed upon the tower door.
It opened and Noel le Jolys emerged, followed by, the slight,
hunched figure in faded black velvet for whom the eyes of the
conspirators were so eager. Noel advanced questioning:
"Is the star-gazer here?"
Ren? de Montigny answered him glibly as a showman patters the praise
of his wares.
"Aye. He is the wonder of the world. He can read the stars more
easily than a tapster the score on his shutter. He can spell you the
high luck and the low. Bohemian, Egyptian, Arabian wisdom have no
mysteries for him."
As Ren? ceased, the royal figure with a sweeping gesture of his hand
made a sign of dismissal to Noel, who bowed respectfully and
withdrew into the tower. The king then beckoned to the mighty figure
in the palmer's weed, and Thibaut advanced slowly until he was
within touch of his prey, when he suddenly flung out his great hand
and caught his enemy by the throat, gripping him into silence while
his right hand bared and brandished a dagger.
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