auty of de Montespan. Vastly inferior to
both, and to his ambitious wife whose schemes he adopted when they
succeeded and disowned when they failed, the Duke trembled now upon the
verge of a mighty intrigue which perchance would make him master of an
empire, perchance consign him to the Bastille or to the block. Well he
knew that the abandoned Philip of Orleans, though he sometimes forgot
his friends, never spared an enemy. With these thoughts haunting him,
his timid mind shrank from putting his fortunes to a decisive test, and
he looked forward, dreading to see the increasing feebleness of the
King hasten that day when a quick stroke must win or lose.

He approached Madame at the table with a semblance of that swagger
affected by the weakling in presence of women, yet permitting the
wandering eye and uncertain gestures to betray his uneasiness.
Something had evidently gone wrong with my lord.

"Have you heard, Celeste, of Yvard?" he inquired, dropping into a seat.

My ears quickened at the familiar name.

"Well, what of him?"

"He has lost the Louisiana dispatches, and I know not what they
contained."

"What!" exclaimed the woman, as if genuinely alarmed, and learning the
bad news at first hand.

"Yes, the cursed fool lost them in some drunken brawl in the city. We
have had the place thoroughly searched, but--" he finished the sentence
with a shrug to express his failure.

"What if they should reach Orleans?" he continued evenly. "My men fear
he has gone to him anyway, hoping to play in with both for pardon. I'd
feel much safer could we only lay our hands upon him. He is the one
man beside ourselves here who knows--who knows, anything," the Duke
went on with growing trepidation.

"Well, make yourself comfort, my lord, I took the responsibility to
detain Yvard in Paris."

"You?" he sprang from his chair in astonishment. "You? Why? How?"

"I thought your safety demanded it. My lord is too generous, too
confiding," she threw toward him a glance of concern poor de Valance
would have periled his soul to win. "You see, when we entrusted him
with this business, it was so delicate a mission, I set a watch upon
him--some of my own people of Anjou--and when he acted negligently they
reported to me. He began drinking, too, and freely, so I feared his
discretion. I now have the man safe in Paris. What would my lord with
him?"

Du Maine fixed his cold eyes upon her, for a short space, then,

"It woul