ueen, took its course in the direction of
Apremont. The courtiers who followed were merry and full of spirits; it
was evident that every one tried to forget, and to make others forget,
the bitter discussions of the previous evening. Madame, particularly,
was delightful; in fact, seeing the king at the door of her carriage, as
she did not suppose he would be there for the queen's sake, she hoped
that her prince had returned to her. Hardly, however, had they proceeded
a quarter of a mile on the road, when the king, with a gracious smile,
saluted them and drew up his horse, leaving the queen's carriage to pass
on, then that of the principal ladies of honor, and then all the others
in succession, who, seeing the king stop, wished in their turn to stop
too; but the king made a sign to them to continue their progress. When
La Valliere's carriage passed, the king approached it, saluted the
ladies who were inside, and was preparing to accompany the carriage
containing the maids of honor, in the same way he had followed that in
which Madame was, when suddenly the whole file of carriages stopped. It
was probable that Madame, uneasy at the king having left her, had just
given directions for the performance of this maneuver, the direction in
which the promenade was to take place having been left to her. The king
having sent to inquire what her object was in stopping the carriages,
was informed in reply that she wished to walk. She very likely hoped
that the king, who was following the carriages of the maids of honor on
horseback, would not venture to follow the maids of honor themselves on
foot. They had arrived in the middle of the forest. The promenade, in
fact, was not ill-timed, especially for those who were dreamers or
lovers. From the little open space where the halt had taken place, three
beautiful long walks, shady and undulating, stretched out before them.
These walks were covered with moss, with leaves lying scattered idly
about; and each walk had its horizon in the distance, consisting of
about a handbreadth of sky, apparent through the interlacing of the
branches of the trees. At the end of the walks, evidently in great
tribulation and uneasiness, the startled deer were seen hurrying to and
fro, first stopping for a moment in the middle of the path, and then
raising their heads, they fled with the speed of an arrow, or bounded
into the depths of the forest, where they disappeared from view; now and
then a rabbit of philos