Part 43 (2/2)
”Certainly, as those of Madenan; ”do not forget, Mada to the sun; that was flattering enough”
”The king does not permit himself to be influenced by such flatteries”
”Mada is just as h just nohen La Valliere fell into his ar's arraceful picture possible; just i, and-”
”Well! what did you see?-tell me-speak!”
”I sahat ten other people saw at the same time as myself; I saw that when La Valliere fell into his ar almost fainted himself”
Madame smothered a subdued cry, the only indication of her s in a convulsive nan” And she hurried away, alone, and almost suffocated by painful emotion, towards the chateau
Chapter XLIV Courses de Nuit
Monsieur quitted the princess in the best possible huued, retired to his apartht as he chose When in his rooht with careful attention, which displayed itself from time to tiaged in curling his hair, he sang the principal airs of the ballet which the violins had played, and to which the king had danced He then summoned his tailors, inspected his costumes for the next day, and, in token of his extre them As, however, the Chevalier de Lorraine, who had seen the prince return to the chateau, entered the room, Monsieur overwhel saluted the prince, remained silent for ain what direction he will renew his fire; then, see to ular coincidence, neur?”
”No; what is it?”
”The bad reception which his ave the Comte de Guiche”
”In appearance?”
”Yes, certainly; since, in reality, he has restored him to favor”
”I did not notice it,” said the prince
”What, did you not reain into exile, as was natural, he encouraged hi him to resu rong, chevalier?” said the prince
”Are you not of ether so, ht not to have ment is more to be complained of than his intention”
”Really,” said the chevalier, ”as far as I ananiree”
”Why so?” inquired Philip
”Because I should have thought the king had beenthe last fewnature concealed under his favorite's renited the powder
”Jealous!” exclaimed the prince ”Jealous! what do you mean? Jealous of what, if you please-or jealous of whom?”
The chevalier perceived that he had allowed an excessively mischievous re He endeavored, therefore, apparently to recall it while it was still possible to do so ”Jealous of his authority,” he said, with an assu jealous?”
”Ah!” said the prince, ”that's very proper”
”Did your royal highness,” continued the chevalier, ”solicit dear De Guiche's pardon?”
”No, indeed,” said Monsieur ”De Guiche is an excellent fellow, and full of courage; but as I do not approve of his conduct with Madaood”
The chevalier had assuard to De Guiche, as he had atteht he perceived that the tience, and even for the utmost indifference, had arrived, and that, in order to throw soht be necessary for hi is, beneath the husband's very nose
”Very well, very well,” said the chevalier to himself, ”I must wait for De Wardes; he will do more in one day than I in a month; for I verily believe he is even ain, it is not De Wardes I require so much as that some event or another should happen; and in the whole of this affair I see none That De Guiche returned after he had been sent away is certainly serious enough, but all its seriousness disappears when I learn that De Guiche has returned at the very er about hi, that is clear; but she will not be sohas ceased to trouble his head about her The moral of the whole matter is, to remain perfectly neutral, and await the arrival of some new caprice and let that decide the whole affair” And the chevalier thereupon settled hinedly in the armchair in which Monsieur per no more spiteful or malicious remarks to make, the consequence was that De Lorraine's wit seeh good-huh for two, until the tientle-apartment As he withdrew, he desired the chevalier to present his coht was cool, Monsieur, as afraid of the toothache, would not venture out again into the park during the re The chevalier entered the princess's apartments at the very moment she came in herself He acquitted himself faithfully of the commission intrusted to him, and, in the first place, remarked all the indifference and annoyance hich Madame received her husband's coht with so fresh If Madaeness ofto the to be done, therefore he turned upon his heel like an une to question earth, air, and water about it; shook his head, and walked away one a hundred paces when hear the sed in thought It was De Guiche and De Bragelonne, the sight of whom, as it always did, produced upon the chevalier, instinctively, a feeling of repugnance He did not, however, the less, on that account, salute them with a very lohich they returned with interest Then, observing that the park was nearly deserted, that the illu breeze was setting in, he turned to the left, and entered the chateau again, by one of the sht, and continued on their way towards the large park As the chevalier was ascending the side staircase, which led to the private entrance, he saoman, followed by another, make her appearance under the arcade which led froe courtyard The to of their dresses could be distinguished through the silence of the night The style of their hty carriage which distinguished them both, especially the one alked first, struck the chevalier
”I certainly know those two,” he said to hi upon the top step of the small staircase Then, as with the instinct of a bloodhound he was about to follow the after him arrested his attention
”Monsieur,” he said, ”the courier has arrived”
”Very well,” said the chevalier, ”there is tient letters which you would be glad to see, perhaps”
”Where froland, and the other froreat importance”
”From Calais! Who the deuce can have to write toof Monsieur le Co his intention of acting the spy, ”in that case I will cos disappeared at the end of the court opposite to the one by which they had just entered We shall now follow them, and leave the chevalier undisturbed to his correspondence When they had arrived at the grove of trees, the foremost of the two halted, so her hood, said, ”Are we still far from the tree?”
”Yes, Madame, more than five hundred paces; but pray rest awhile, you will not be able to walk ht,” said the princes, for it was she; and she leaned against a tree ”And now,” she resu recovered her breath, ”tellfroirl, ”you are already angry with me”
”No, ry with you After all, these things do not concern me personally You are anxious about what youoffended the king, and I wish to tranquillize you by ascertaining myself if it were possible you could have been overheard”
”Oh, yes, Mada was close to us”
”Still, you were not speaking so loud that soht ere quite alone, Madame”
”There were three of you, you say?”
”Yes; La Valliere, Montalais, and ht ?”
”I ahness have the kindness to make my peace with his majesty?”
”If there should be any occasion for it, I promise you I will do so However, as I have already told you, it will be better not to anticipate evil The night is now very dark, and the darkness is still greater under the trees It is not likely you were recognized by the king To infor the first to speak, is to denounce yourself”