on
as the queen left the palace, whether on foot or in a carriage, whether
to ride in the forest or to glide down the Thames in her gilded yacht,
the master of horse must be ever at her side, must ever attend her.
Indeed, this service was still more exclusive, still more important.
For, though the queen's apartments were open to the lord chamberlain,
yet, however, he was never alone with her. The attending maids of honor
were always present and prevented there being any tetes-a-tetes or
intimacy between the queen and her chamberlain.

But with the master of horse it was different--since many opportunities
presented themselves, when he could approach the queen unnoticed, or at
least speak to her without being overheard. He had to offer her his hand
to assist her in entering her carriage; he could ride near the door of
her coach; he accompanied her on water excursions and pleasure rides,
and these last were so much the more important because they afforded
him, to a certain extent, opportunity for a tete-a-tete with the queen.
For only the master of horse was permitted to ride at her side; he even
had precedence of the ladies of the suite, so as to be able to give the
queen immediate assistance in case of any accident, or the stumbling of
her horse. Therefore, no one of the suite could perceive what the queen
said to the master of horse when he rode at her side.

It was understood, therefore, how influential this place might be.
Besides, when the queen was at Whitehall, the king was almost always
near her; while, thanks to his daily increasing corpulency, he was not
exactly in a condition to leave the palace otherwise than in a carriage.

It was therefore very natural that the whole company at court awaited
with eager attention and bated breath the moment when the master of
ceremonies would name these two important personages, whose names had
been kept so secret that nobody had yet learned them. That morning,
just before he handed the list to the master of ceremonies, the king had
written down these two names with his own hand.

Not the court only, but also the king himself, was watching for
these two names. For he wished to see the effect of them, and, by the
different expression of faces, estimate the number of the friends of
these two nominees. The young queen alone exhibited the same unconcerned
affability; her heart only beat with uniform calmness, for she did not
once suspect the importance of the moment.

Even