Part 59 (1/2)
”Certainly Coive hiive M de Guiche?”
”Coiven?” inquired the prince
”Alas! her royal highness knows very hat it is,” replied the latter, in a hypocritical tone
”Coive hiive you any pleasure, Monsieur,” and, with a movement of her eyes and shoulders, which it would be i man her beautiful and perfumed hand, upon which he pressed his lips It was evident that he did so for some little time, and that Madame did not withdraw her hand too quickly, for the duke added: ”De Guiche is not wickedly disposed, Madame; so do not be afraid, he will not bite you”
A pretext was given in the gallery by the duke's rehable, for every one to laugh excessively The situation was odd enough, and some kindly disposed persons had observed it Monsieur was still enjoying the effect of his re was announced The appearance of the room at that moment was as follows:-in the center, before the fireplace, which was filled with flowers, Madas, on either side of her; around who Several other groups were formed in the recesses of the s, like soldiers stationed in their different toho belong to the saarrison From their respective places they could pick up the reroup Froroups, the nearest to the fireplace, Malicorne, who had been at once raised to the dignity, through Manicamp and De Guiche, of the post of master of the apartments, and whose official costume had been ready for the last two old lace, and shone upon Montalais, standing on Madame's extreme left, with all the fire of his eyes and splendor of his velvet Mada with Mademoiselle de Chatillon and Mademoiselle de Crequy, ere next to her, and addressed a feords to Monsieur, who drew aside as soon as the king was announced Mademoiselle de la Valliere, like Montalais, was on Madame's left hand, and the last but one on the line, Madeht She was stationed as certain bodies of troops are, whose weakness is suspected, and who are placed between two experienced regiments Guarded in this manner by the companions who had shared her adventure, La Valliere, whether fro froun to render her name familiar on the lips of the courtiers, La Valliere, we repeat, hid her eyes, red eeping, behind her fan, and seereatest attention to the remarks which Montalais and Athenais, alternately, whispered to her froeneral movement took place in the apartment Madame, in her character as hostess, rose to receive the royal visitor; but as she rose, notwithstanding her preoccupation of lance, which the presuarded as intended for himself, rested, as it swept over the whole circle, upon La Valliere, whose warm blush and restless e advanced to the eneral one, by a movement which took place from the circumference to the center Every head bowed low before his nificent lilies before King Aquilo There was nothing very severe, ill even say, nothing very royal that evening about the king, except youth and good looks He wore an air of aniinations at work, and, thereupon, all present pro, for no other reason than fro remarked the desire his majesty had to amuse himself in Madah spirits and good-hunan, as dressed in a rose-colored costume, with face and ribbons of the same color, and, in addition, particularly rose-colored in his ideas, for that evening M de Saint-Aignan was prolific in jests The circuiven a new expansion to the nu in his fertile brain was, that he had just perceived that Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente was, like himself, dressed in rose-color We would not wish to say, however, that the wily courtier had not know beforehand that the beautiful Athenais was to wear that particular color; for he very well knew the art of unlocking the lips of a dress-maker or a lady'sglances at Mades and doublet; in other words he discharged a prodigious nu paid Mada requested him to be seated, the circle was immediately formed Louis inquired of Monsieur the particulars of the day's bathing; and stated, looking at the ladies present while he spoke, that certain poets were engaged turning into verse the enchanting diversion of the baths of Vulaines, and that one of them particularly, M Loret, seemed to have been intrusted with the confidence of some water-nymph, as he had in his verses recounted many circumstances that were actually true-at which remark more than one lady present felt herself bound to blush The king at thisround him at more leisure; Montalais was the only one who did not blush sufficiently to prevent her looking at the king, and she saw hily on Mademoiselle de la Valliere This undaunted maid of honor, Made to lower his gaze, and so saved Louise de la Valliere froht possibly have conveyed Louis was appropriated by Madame, who overwhelmed him with inquiries, and no one in the world kne to ask questions better than she did He tried, however, to render the conversation general, and, with the view of effecting this, he redoubled his attention and devotion to her Madame coveted complimentary remarks, and, determined to procure the: ”Sire, your doht to know beforehand the verses confided to M Loret by this nymph; will your majesty kindly co, with perfect grace of ree confused at having to listen to certain details-but Saint-Aignan tells a story well, and has a perfect recollection of the verses If he does not remember them, he will invent I can certify he is alht prominently forward, was coeously as possible Unfortunately, however, for Madaht of his own personal affairs only; in other words, instead of paying Madame the compliments she soas lancing, therefore, for the hundredth time at the beautiful Athenais, who carried into practice her previous evening's theory of not even deigning to look at her adorer, he said:- ”Yourtoo indifferently remembered the verses which the ny has not retained any recollection of them, how could I possibly re of the courtier very favorably
”Ah! er a question what the water-nymphs have to say; and one would al of any interest now occurs in those liquid realms It is upon earth, madame, important events happen Ah! Madame, upon the earth, how many tales are there full of-”
”Well,” said Mada place upon the earth?”
”That question must be asked of the Dryads,” replied the cohness is aware”
”I am aware also, that they are naturally very talkative, Monsieur de Saint-Aignan”
”Such is the case, Madaracious to accuse thehtfully, then?” inquired the princess, indifferently ”Really, Monsieur de Saint-Aignan, you excite , I would require you is are these Dryads have been saying, since you alone seee”
”I am at his majesty's orders, Madame, in that respect,” replied the conan is to understand the language of the Dryads,” said Monsieur
”I understand it perfectly, e”
”Tell us all about the felt embarrassed, for his confidant was, in all probability, about to embark in a difficult eneral attention excited by Saint-Aignan's preamble, and aroused too by Madame's peculiar manner The most reserved of those ere present seemed ready to devour every syllable the coether, looked curiously at soreater propriety, or with more steadiness, the fixity of the inquisitorial looks bent upon the of a duelist about to be exposed to his adversary's fire At this epoch, the fashi+on of ingeniously constructed conversations, and hazardously dangerous recitals, so prevailed, that, where, in -rooic event, and would hurry away in disuests quietly settled theesture of the conan for their benefit, and the terht be, must, as a matter of course, be marked by the most perfect propriety The comte as known as a man of extrean, then, amidst a profound silence, which would have been for's permission, I address hness, since you adreatest curiosity I have the honor, therefore, to inforhness that the Dryad more particularly inhabits the hollows of oaks; and, as Dryads are reat beauty, they inhabit the est to be found”
At this exordium, which recalled, under a transparent veil, the celebrated story of the royal oak, which had played so ian to beat, both froood and sonorous voice, their throbbings ht have been heard above the sound of his voice
”There must surely be Dryads at Fontainebleau, then,” said Madame, in a perfectly calm voice; ”for I have never, in all my life, seen finer oaks than in the royal park” And as she spoke, she directed towards De Guiche a look of which he had no reason to complain, as he had of the one that preceded it; which, as we have already mentioned, had reserved a certain a a heart as his
”Precisely, Madame, it is of Fontainebleau I was about to speak to your royal highness,” said Saint-Aignan; ”for the Dryad whose story is engaging our attention, lives in the park belonging to the chateau of his majesty”
The affair was fairly eer possible for auditory or narrator to draw back
”It will be worth listening to,” said Madame; ”for the story not only appears to me to have all the interest of a national incident, but still more, seems to be a circuin at the beginning,” said the comte ”In the first place, then, there lived at Fontainebleau, in a cottage ofappearance, two shepherds The one was the shepherd Tyrcis, the owner of extensive doht of inheritance Tyrcis was young and handsoht be pronounced to be the first and foreht even boldly say he was the king of shepherds” A subdued ed the narrator, who continued:-”His strength equals his courage; no one displays greater address in hunting wild beasts, nor greater wisdoment is required Whenever he mounts and exercises his horse in the beautiful plains of his inheritance, or whenever he joins with the shepherds e hith, onehis lance on the plains of Thrace, or, even better, that it was Apollo hi his flaorical portrait of the king was not the worst exordium the narrator could have chosen; and consequently it did not fail to produce its effect, either upon those who, from duty or inclination, applauded it to the very echo, or on the king hireeable when delicately conveyed, and whom, indeed, it did not always displease, even when it was a little too broad Saint-Aignan then continued:-”It is not in galory only, ladies, that the shepherd Tyrcis had acquired that reputation by which he was regarded as the king of the shepherds”
”Of the shepherds of Fontainebleau,” said the king, sly, to Madame
”Oh!” exclaimed Madame, ”Fontainebleau is selected arbitrarily by the poet; but I should say, of the shepherds of the whole world” The king forgot his part of a passive auditor, and bowed
”It is,” paused Saint-Aignan, a murmur of applause, ”it is with ladies fair especially that the qualities of this king of the shepherds are most prominently displayed He is a shepherd with a mind as refined as his heart is pure; he can pay a compliment with a charm of manner whose fascination it is impossible to resist; and in his attachments he is so discreet, that beautiful and happy conquests ard their lot as more than enviable Never a syllable of disclosure, never a etfulness Whoever has seen and heard Tyrcis must love him; whoever loves and is beloved by hinan here paused; he was enjoying the pleasure of all these corotesquely inflated it ht be, had found favor in certain ears, in which the perfections of the shepherd did not seeed the orator to continue ”Tyrcis,” said the comte, ”had a faithful companion, or rather a devoted servant, whose name was-Amyntas”
”Ah!” said Madame, archly, ”now for the portrait of Amyntas; you are such an excellent painter, Monsieur de Saint-Aignan”
”Madame-”
”Oh! comte, do not, I entreat you, sacrifice poor Aive you”
”Madame, Amyntas is of too humble a position, particularly beside Tyrcis, for his person to be honored by a parallel There are certain friends who resemble those followers of ancient times, who caused themselves to be buried alive at their masters' feet Amyntas's place, too, is at the feet of Tyrcis; he cares for no other; and if, sometimes, the illustrious hero-”
”Illustrious shepherd, you nan
”Your royal highness is right; I was mistaken,” returned the courtier; ”if, I say, the shepherd Tyrcis deigns occasionally to call Amyntas his friend, and to open his heart to hiards as the most unbounded felicity”
”All that you say,” interrupted Madame, ”establishes the extreme devotion of Amyntas to Tyrcis, but does not furnish us with the portrait of Amyntas Comte, do not flatter him, if you like; but describe hinan obeyed, after having bowed profoundly to his majesty's sister-in-law
”Amyntas,” he said, ”is somewhat older than Tyrcis; he is not an ill-favored shepherd; it is even said that the muses condescended to smile upon him at his birth, even as Hebe smiled upon youth He is not a loved; and he ht not, perhaps, he found unworthy of it, if he were only sufficiently well-known”
This latter paragraph, strengthened by a killing glance, was directed straight to Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente, who received them both unmoved But the ood effect; Amyntas reaped the benefit of it in the applause bestowed upon hi bow, full of good feeling
”One evening,” continued Saint-Aignan, ”Tyrcis and A of their love disappointet, ladies, that the story of the Dryad is now beginning, otherwise it would be easy to tell you what Tyrcis and Amyntas, the twoabout They reached the thickest part of the forest, for the purpose of being quite alone, and of confiding their troubles more freely to each other, when suddenly the sound of voices struck upon their ears”
”Ah, ah!” said those who surrounded the narrator ”Nothing can be ilant general inspecting his arlanced at Made as they drew thenan, ”were those of certain shepherdesses, who had been likewise desirous of enjoying the coolness of the shade, and who, knowing the isolated and almost unapproachable situation of the place, had betaken thee their ideas upon-” A loud burst of laughter occasioned by this re, as he looked at Tonnay-Charente, followed this sally
”The Dryad affirnan, ”that the shepherdesses were three in nu and beautiful”
”What were their names?” said Madanan, who hesitated fro an indiscretion
”Of course; you call your shepherds Tyrcis and Aive your shepherdesses names in a similar manner”