ce, would wait
until Madame were in her own apartments--"

"No pretext; no delays. I have had enough of these impediments and
mysteries; I cannot perceive in what respect the king of France
dishonors himself by conversing with an amiable and clever girl. Evil be
to him who evil thinks."

"Will your majesty forgive an excess of zeal on my part?"

"Speak freely."

"How about the queen?"

"True, true; I always wish the most entire respect to be shown to her
majesty. Well, then, this evening only will I pay Mademoiselle de la
Valliere a visit, and after to-day I will make use of any pretext you
like. To-morrow we will devise all sorts of means; to-night I have no
time."

Saint-Aignan made no reply; he descended the steps, preceding the king,
and crossed the different courtyards with a feeling of shame, which the
distinguished honor of accompanying the king did not remove. The reason
was that Saint-Aignan wished to stand well with Madame, as well as
with the queens, and also, that he did not, on the other hand, want to
displease Mademoiselle de la Valliere: and in order to carry out so
many promising affairs, it was difficult to avoid jostling against some
obstacle or other. Besides, the windows of the young queen's rooms,
those of the queen-mother's, and of Madame herself, looked out upon the
courtyard of the maids of honor. To be seen, therefore, accompanying the
king, would be effectually to quarrel with three great and influential
princesses--whose authority was unbounded--for the purpose of supporting
the ephemeral credit of a mistress. The unhappy Saint-Aignan, who had
not displayed a very great amount of courage in taking La Valliere's
part in the park of Fontainebleau, did not feel any braver in the broad
day-light, and found a thousand defects in the poor girl which he was
most eager to communicate to the king. But his trial soon finished,--the
courtyards were crossed; not a curtain was drawn aside, nor a window
opened. The king walked hastily, because of his impatience, and the
long legs of Saint-Aignan, who preceded him. At the door, however,
Saint-Aignan wished to retire, but the king desired him to remain; a
delicate consideration, on the king's part, which the courtier could
very well have dispensed with. He had to follow Louis into La Valliere's
apartment. As soon as the king arrived the young girl dried her tears,
but so precipitately that the king perceived it. He questioned her most
anxiously and te