y a part
of the king's secrets. The Comte de Solern alone knew the whole of the
plan which he was now about to carry out. This devoted friend was also
useful to his master, in possessing a body of discreet and affectionate
followers, who blindly obeyed his orders. He commanded a detachment of
the archers of the guards, and for the last few days he had been sifting
out the men who were faithfully attached to the king, in order to make
a company of tried men when the need came. The king took thought of
everything.

"Why are you surprised, Solern?" he said. "You know very well I need a
pretext to be out to-night. It is true, I have Madame de Belleville,
but this is better; for who knows whether my mother does not hear of all
that goes on at Marie's?"

Monsieur de Solern, who was to follow the king, asked if he might not
take a few of his Germans to patrol the streets, and Charles consented.
About eleven o'clock the king, who was now very gay, set forth with his
three courtiers,--namely, Tavannes and the two Gondis.

"I'll go and take my little Marie by surprise," said Charles IX. to
Tavannes, "as we pass through the rue de l'Autruche." That street being
on the way to the rue Saint-Honore, it would have been strange indeed
for the king to pass the house of his love without stopping.

Looking out for a chance of mischief,--a belated burgher to frighten,
or a watchman to thrash--the king went along with his nose in the air,
watching all the lighted windows to see what was happening, and striving
to hear the conversations. But alas! he found his good city of Paris in
a state of deplorable tranquillity. Suddenly, as he passed the house
of a perfumer named Rene, who supplied the court, the king, noticing
a strong light from a window in the roof, was seized by one of those
apparently hasty inspirations which, to some minds, suggest a previous
intention.

This perfumer was strongly suspected of curing rich uncles who thought
themselves ill. The court laid at his door the famous "Elixir of
Inheritance," and even accused him of poisoning Jeanne d'Albret, mother
of Henri of Navarre, who was buried (in spite of Charles IX.'s positive
order) without her head being opened. For the last two months the king
had sought some way of sending a spy into Rene's laboratory, where, as
he was well aware, Cosmo Ruggiero spent much time. The king intended,
if anything suspicious were discovered, to proceed in the matter alone,
without the assi