It has been my misfortune to have had to treat these gentlemen with scant courtesy, but the circumstances left me no choice.
"Monsieur de Merouville, here is a document, signed by these nine gentlemen, giving a solemn undertaking that you and Madame shall be, in future, permitted to reside in your chateau without the slightest let or hindrance; and that you shall suffer no molestation, whatever, either on account of this affair, or on the question of religion.

I have a duplicate of this document; and have, on my part, given an undertaking that, if its terms are broken I will, at whatever inconvenience to myself, return to this neighbourhood, hang these ten gentlemen if I can catch them, and at any rate burn their chateaux to the ground.

Therefore I think, as you have their undertaking and mine, you can without fear return home; but this, of course, I leave to yourself to decide.
"Gentlemen, you are now free to return to your homes; and I trust this lesson--that we, on our part, can strike, if necessary--will have some effect in moderating your zeal for persecution." Without a word, the president and his companions walked away in a body.

The troopers began to jeer and laugh, but Philip held up his hand for silence.
"There need be no extra scorn," he said.

"These gentlemen have been sufficiently humiliated." "And you really fetched all these good gentlemen from their beds," D'Arblay said, bursting into a fit of laughter.