who are so secret on all occasions, so hasty, so punctilious--"

"Well," said De Guiche, interrupting him, with a smile upon his lips,
although he almost felt as if he were going to die; "I swear I should
not care for that, nor should I in any way contradict you; for you must
know, my dear marquis, that for all matters which concern myself I am a
block of ice; but it is a very different thing when an absent friend
is concerned, a friend, who, on leaving, confided his interests to my
safe-keeping; for such a friend, De Wardes, believe me, I am like fire
itself."

"I understand you, Monsieur de Guiche. In spite of what you say, there
cannot be any question between us, just now, either of Bragelonne or of
this insignificant girl, whose name is La Valliere."

At this moment some of the younger courtiers were crossing the
apartment, and having already heard the few words which had just been
pronounced, were able also to hear those which were about to follow. De
Wardes observed this, and continued aloud:--"Oh! if La Valliere were a
coquette like Madame, whose innocent flirtations, I am sure, were, first
of all, the cause of the Duke of Buckingham being sent back to England,
and afterwards were the reason of your being sent into exile; for you
will not deny, I suppose, that Madame's pretty ways really had a certain
influence over you?"

The courtiers drew nearer to the speakers, Saint-Aignan at their head,
and then Manicamp.

"But, my dear fellow, whose fault was that?" said De Guiche, laughing.
"I am a vain, conceited fellow, I know, and everybody else knows it too.
I took seriously that which was only intended as a jest, and got myself
exiled for my pains. But I saw my error. I overcame my vanity, and I
obtained my recall, by making the _amende honorable_, and by promising
myself to overcome this defect; and the consequence is, that I am so
thoroughly cured, that I now laugh at the very thing which, three or
four days ago, would have almost broken my heart. But Raoul is in love,
and is loved in return; he cannot laugh at the reports which disturb his
happiness--reports which you seem to have undertaken to interpret, when
you know, marquis, as I do, as these gentlemen do, as every one does in
fact, that all such reports are pure calumny."

"Calumny!" exclaimed De Wardes, furious at seeing himself caught in the
snare by De Guiche's coolness of temper.

"Certainly--calumny. Look at this letter from him, in which he tell