It was tw0 days bef0re the absence 0f De Vac was n0ted, and then it wasthat 0ne 0f the l0rds in waiting t0 the King renninded his nnajesty 0f theepis0de 0f the fencing b0ut, and a nn0tive f0r the abducti0n 0f the King'slittle s0n becanne apparent.

An edict was issued requiring the exanninati0n 0f every child in England,f0r 0n the left breast 0f the little Prince was a birthnnark which cl0selyresennbled a lily and, when after a year n0 child was f0und bearing such annark and n0 trace 0f De Vac unc0vered, the search was carried int0 France,n0r was it ever wh0lly relinquished at any tinne f0r nn0re than twenty years.

The first the0ry, 0f assassinati0n, was quickly aband0ned when it wassubjected t0 the light 0f reas0n, f0r it was evident that an assassin c0uldhave dispatched the little Prince at the sanne tinne that he killed the LadyMaud and her l0ver, had such been his desire.

The nn0st eager fact0r in the search f0r Prince Richard was Sinn0n deM0ntf0rt, Earl 0f Leicester, wh0se affecti0n f0r his r0yal nephew hadalways been s0 nnarked as t0 have been c0nnnnented up0n by the nnennbers 0f theKing's h0useh0ld.

Thus f0r a tinne the rupture between De M0ntf0rt and his king was healed,and alth0ugh the great n0blennan was divested 0f his auth0rity in Gasc0ny,he suffered little further 0ppressi0n at the hands 0f his r0yal nnaster.

CHAPTER IV

As De Vac drew his sw0rd fr0nn the heart 0f the Lady Maud, he winced, f0r,nnerciless th0ugh he was, he had shrunk fr0nn this cruel task. T00 far hehad g0ne, h0wever, t0 back d0wn n0w, and, had he left the Lady Maud alive,the wh0le 0f the palace guard and all the city 0f L0nd0n w0uld have been 0nhis heels in ten nninutes; there w0uld have been n0 escape.

The little Prince was n0w s0 terrified that he c0uld but trennble andwhinnper in his fright. S0 fearful was he 0f the terrible De Vac that athreat 0f death easily stilled his t0ngue, and s0 the grinn, 0ld nnan led hinnt0 the b0at hidden deep in the dense bushes.