Part 42 (1/2)
”Yes, sire, and weeping, too, it see ”It sounds like the tears and sobs of a wo a by-path, they ran across the grass As they approached, the cries were more distinctly heard
”Help, help,” exclai and his companion redoubled their speed, and, as they approached nearer, the sighs they had heard were changed into loud sobs The cry of ”Help! help!” was again repeated; at the sound of which, the king and Saint-Aignan increased the rapidity of their pace Suddenly at the other side of a ditch, under the branches of a , they perceived a wo another in her arms who see in thethe two gentlemen, whose rank she could not tell, her cries for assistance were redoubled The king, as in advance of his coroup at the very moment when, from the end of the path which led to the chateau, a dozen persons were approaching, who had been drawn to the spot by the sa and M de Saint-Aignan
”What is the !” exclai La Valliere's head fall upon the ground
”Yes, it is the king; but that is no reason why you should abandon your companion Who is she?”
”It is Mademoiselle de la Valliere, sire”
”Mademoiselle de la Valliere!”
”Yes, sire, she has just fainted”
”Poor child!” said the king ”Quick, quick, fetch a surgeon” But however great the anxiety hich the king had pronounced these words may have seemed to others, he had not so carefully schooled hiesture which acco had confided the sudden love hich she had inspired hi, ”watch over Madeeon I will hasten forward and inform Madame of the accident which has befallen one of her nan was busily engaged inMade hurried forward, happy to have an opportunity of approaching Mada to her under a colorable pretext Fortunately, a carriage was passing; the coach been inforave up their seats to Mademoiselle de la Valliere The current of fresh air produced by the rapidreached the chateau, she was able, though very weak, to alight froe, and, with the assistance of Athenais and of Montalais, to reach the inner apartround floor After a while, as the accident had not produced , the pro had found Mada branches, and had seated himself by her side
”Take care, sire,” said Henrietta to him, in a low tone, ”you do not show yourself as indifferent as you ought to be”
”Alas!” replied the king, in the sareeth to keep” He then added aloud, ”You have heard of the accident, I suppose?”
”What accident?”
”Oh! in seeing you I forgot I hurried here expressly to tell you of it I am, however, painfully affected by it; one of your maids of honor, Mademoiselle de la Valliere, has just fainted”
”Indeed! poor girl,” said the princess, quietly, ”as the cause of it?”
She then added in an undertone, ”You forget, sire, that you wish others to believe in your passion for this girl, and yet you re, perhaps, elsewhere”
”Ah! Mada, ”how much more perfect you are in your part than I a”
He then rose, saying loud enough for every one to hear hireat, and I wish to be quite certain, iven to Madeain to return to La Valliere, while those who had been present coreat”
Chapter XLIII The King's Secret
On his way Louis nan,” he inquired, with affected interest, ”how is the invalid”
”Really, sire,” stanan, ”to my shame, I confess I do not know”
”What! you do not know?” said the king, pretending to take in a serious manner this want of attention for the object of his predilection
”Will your majesty pardon me; but I have just met one of our three loquacious wood-nymphs, and I confess that my attention has been taken away froerly, ”you have found, then-”
”The one who deigned to speak offoundfor yours, sire, when I had the happiness to meet your majesty”
”Very well; but Made, faithful to the character he had assunan; ”how fortunately her fainting fit came on, since your majesty had already occupied yourself about her”
”What is the nanan? Is it a secret?”
”It ought to be a secret, and a very great one, even; but your majesty is well aware that no secret can possibly exist for you”
”Well, what is her name?”
”Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente”
”Is she pretty?”
”Exceedingly, sire; and I recognized the voice which pronounced my name in such tender accents I accosted her, questioned her as well as I was able to do, in theanything, that a little while ago she was under the great oak, with her two friends, when the sound of a wolf or a robber had terrified the, anxiously, ”what are the nanan, ”will your majesty send me forthwith to the Bastile?”
”What for?”
”Because I areat at such a conquest, and at so fortunate a discovery, that I went no further in my inquiries Besides, I did not think that your reat i how much your attention was taken up by Mademoiselle de la Valliere; and then, Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente left me precipitately, to return to Mademoiselle de la Valliere”
”Let us hope, then, that I shall be as fortunate as yourself Conan”
”Your majesty is ambitions, I perceive, and does not wish to allow any conquest to escape you Well, I assure you that I will conscientiously set about my inquiries; and, moreover, from one or the other of those Three Graces we shall learn the names of the rest, and by the na, ”only require to hear her voice to know it again Come, let us say no more about it, but shohere poor La Valliere is”
”Well,” thought Saint-Aignan, ”the king's regard is beginning to display itself, and for that girl too It is extraordinary; I should never have believed it” And with this thought passing through histhe roo entered, followed by Saint-Aignan In a low chaardens, La Valliere, reclining in a large ar breeze From the loosened body of her dress, the lace fell in tu with the tresses of her beautiful fair hair, which lay scattered upon her shoulders Her languishi+ng eyes were filled with tears; she seemed as lifeless as those beautiful visions of our dreams, that pass before the s withoutthem The pearl-like pallor of La Valliere possessed a charm it would be i had produced upon her features a soft and noble expression of grief; from the perfect passiveness of her arms and bust, shebeing; she sees which arose fro within herself; and her beautiful, delicate hands treh at the contact of some invisible touch She was so co entered without her perceiving hiazed upon her lovely face, upon which the ht
”Good Heavens!” he exclaimed, with a terror he could not control, ”she is dead”
”No, sire,” said Montalais, in a low voice; ”on the contrary, she is better Are you not better, Louise?”
But Louise did not answer ”Louise,” continued Montalais, ”the king has deigned to express his uneasiness on your account”