du Lucienne. The horrible ideas of murder, poison, or
assassination by any means, had never presented themselves to me. All
at once I recollected the young man in the garden of the Tuileries; his
predictions of my future greatness had been accomplished. He had also
announced to me fearful vicissitudes, and had threatened to appear to me
when these catastrophes were about to occur. Doubtless he would keep his
word; now was the time for so doing, and I timidly glanced around as I
caught the sound of a slight rustle among the branches, fully expecting
to see my young prophet; but the figure which met my eye was that of
madame de Mirepoix, who, tired of waiting, had come to rejoin me.

"What!" said she, "are you alone? I did not observe your visitor leave
you. Did she vanish into air?"

"Very possibly," answered I.

"So then," replied the marechale, "she proved a fairy, or some
beneficent _genie_, after all?"

"If she were a spirit," said I, "it certainly was not to the better sort
she belonged."

"Have a care," cried the marechale; "I have already formed a thousand
conjectures as to what this woman has been telling."

"And all your suppositions," replied I, "would fall short of the
reality. Listen, my dear marechale," added I, rising, and taking her arm
to proceed homewards, "I have been strictly prohibited from admitting
any counsellor but the duc d'Aiguillon and the chancellor; still I can
have no reserves with you, who I know, f rom the regard you bear both to
the king and myself, will advise me to the best of your power."

As we walked towards the chateau, I explained to my companion the joint
conspiracy of the Jesuits and ancient members of the parliament against
the king's life and my own. When I had ceased speaking, she replied,

"All this is very possible; despair may conduct the Jesuits and
parliamentarians to the greatest extremities; but still this mysterious
female may be nothing more than an impostor. At any rate, I am anxious
to learn whether the box she described has been left at your house; if
so, it will be a strong corroboration, if not, a convincing proof of the
falsehood of what she asserts."

We had by this time reached the bottom of the staircase which conducted
to my apartments; we ascended the stairs rapidly, and the first person I
met in the anteroom was Henriette.

"Henriette," said I, "has any thing been brought for me during my
absence?"

"Nothing except a box of orange-flower water