when he walked abroad next
morning, and professed much gratitude for it to the King. I have
wondered since whether he should not have thanked a humbler man. Had I
not seen the Star on the breast of the gentleman who embraced M. de
Perrencourt, should I have seen it on the breast of M. Colbert de
Croissy? In truth I doubt it.

CHAPTER XII

THE DEFERENCE OF HIS GRACE THE DUKE

Certainly he had some strange ways, this M. de Perrencourt. It was not
enough for him to arrive by night, nor to have his meeting with M.
Colbert (whose Star Darrell made me observe most particularly next
morning) guarded from intruding eyes by the King's own order. He shewed
a predilection for darkness and was visible in the daytime only in
Madame's apartment, or when she went to visit the King. The other French
gentlemen and ladies manifested much curiosity concerning the town and
the neighbourhood, and with Madame and the Duke of Monmouth at their
head took part in many pleasant excursions. In a day or two the Queen
also and the Duchess of York came from London, and the doings grew more
gay and merry. But M. de Perrencourt was not to be tempted; no pastimes,
no jaunts allured him; he did not put his foot outside the walls of the
Castle, and was little seen inside it. I myself did not set eyes on him
for two days after my first sight of him; but after that I beheld him
fairly often, and the more I saw him the more I wondered. Of a truth
his retiring behaviour was dictated by no want of assurance nor by undue
modesty; he was not abashed in the presence of the great and bore
himself as composedly before the King as in the presence of a lackey. It
was plain, too, that he enjoyed Madame's confidence in no common degree,
for when affairs of State were discussed and all withdrew saving Madame,
her brothers and the Secretary (even the Duke of Monmouth not being
admitted), the last we saw as we made our bows and backed out of the
doorway would be M. de Perrencourt standing in an easy and unconstrained
attitude behind Madame's chair and manifesting no overpowering sense of
the signal honour paid to him by the permission to remain. As may be
supposed, a theory sprang up to account for the curious regard this
gentleman commanded; it was put about (some said that Lord Arlington
himself gave his authority for the report) that M. de Perrencourt was
legal guardian to his cousin Mlle. de Querouaille, and that the King had
discovered special reasons fo