"Your Eminence need have no fear of that," replied Montigny, "though we are not among those who have found priests defenceless—nay, very much the opposite."
"The March air," replied Granvelle, "is too keen to give a relish to this banter of wits with boys and roysterers."
"We wish no conversation with Your Eminence," cried Adolphus angrily; "you might have driven on, for us, without a word."
"I am sorry," said the Cardinal, with a keen look at Montigny; "yea, I say again that I am sorry to see the Stadtholder of Hainault in such company."
With this remark, which Adolphus and Hoogstraaten received as an insult and Montigny as a threat, Granvelle signalled to the coachmen and leant back in his seat.
As the carriage drove on up the slope, Montigny looked anxiously for Brederode.
But a shout of laughter answered them; the Count was standing at the corner under the shrine and pointing after the Cardinal's carriage.
When the other three cavaliers looked in this direction they could not forbear laughter either. On the back of the carriage in which Granvelle was taking his stately departure was pasted the lampoon and the picture of His Eminence hastening along with the Devil.
While the others had been using their wits, Brederode had used his paste-brush, and to greater effect.
"Par le Cordieu!" cried the Count, "his face will turn yellow when he sees that!"
"But he will guess who did it, my Brederode," said Hoogstraaten, "and what kind of exploit will that show in us?"
"Give me the bills," added Montigny, "here is enough for one night."
Hoogstraaten cast his paste pot over the wall of the garden nearest, and Adolphus was glad to end the perilous jest; the night air, the conversation with the Cardinal, had cleared their minds of the fumes of wine and excitement. It had been a dangerous moment while they stood with their backs against the placards on the church door.
"The news of this may reach Madrid," continued Montigny, endeavouring to disarm Brederode of his brush.
"Madrid is a great way off," returned the turbulent Count.
"But Philip has a long arm," said Montigny; he took the rest of the pasquils from Brederode and thrust them into his own doublet, and cast the brush over the wall after the paste pot.