en
the Italians saw the king and Tavannes threading their way among the
roofs of the house next to that of Rene, Albert de Gondi sat down,
declaring that he was tired, and his brother followed his example.

"So much the better," thought the king, glad to leave his spies behind
him.

Tavannes began to laugh at the two Florentines, left sitting alone in
the midst of deep silence, in a place where they had nought but the
skies above them, and the cats for auditors. But the brothers made use
of their position to exchange thoughts they would not dare to utter on
any other spot in the world,--thoughts inspired by the events of the
evening.

"Albert," said the Grand-master to the marechal, "the king will get the
better of the queen-mother; we are doing a foolish thing for our own
interests to stay by those of Catherine. If we go over to the king now,
when he is searching everywhere for support against her and for able
men to serve him, we shall not be driven away like wild beasts when the
queen-mother is banished, imprisoned, or killed."

"You wouldn't get far with such ideas, Charles," replied the marechal,
gravely. "You'd follow the king into the grave, and he won't live long;
he is ruined by excesses. Cosmo Ruggiero predicts his death within a
year."

"The dying boar has often killed the huntsman," said Charles de Gondi.
"This conspiracy of the Duc d'Alencon, the king of Navarre, and the
Prince de Conde, with whom La Mole and Coconnas are negotiating, is more
dangerous than useful. In the first place, the king of Navarre, whom the
queen-mother hoped to catch in the very act, distrusts her, and declines
to run his head into the noose. He means to profit by the conspiracy
without taking any of its risks. Besides, the notion now is to put the
crown on the head of the Duc d'Alencon, who has turned Calvinist."

"_Budelone_! but don't you see that this conspiracy enables the
queen-mother to find out what the Huguenots can do with the Duc
d'Alencon, and what the king can do with the Huguenots?--for the king is
even now negotiating with them; but he'll be finely pilloried to-morrow,
when Catherine reveals to him the counter-conspiracy which will
neutralize all his projects."

"Ah!" exclaimed Charles de Gondi, "by dint of profiting by our advice
she's clever and stronger than we! Well, that's all right."

"All right for the Duc d'Anjou, who prefers to be king of France rather
than king of Poland; I am going now to explain