gagement, and that Athos himself had come to solicit La Valliere's
hand for Raoul. He therefore could not but suppose that on her return
to Paris, La Valliere had found news from London awaiting her, and that
this news had counterbalanced the influence he had been enabled to exert
over her. He immediately felt himself stung, as it were, by feelings
of the wildest jealousy; and again questioned her, with increased
bitterness. La Valliere could not reply, unless she were to acknowledge
everything, which would be to accuse the queen, and Madame also; and the
consequence would be, that she would have to enter into an open warfare
with these two great and powerful princesses. She thought within herself
that as she made no attempt to conceal from the king what was passing in
her own mind, the king ought to be able to read in her heart, in
spite of her silence; and that, had he really loved her, he would have
understood and guessed everything. What was sympathy, then, if not that
divine flame which possesses the property of enlightening the heart, and
of saving lovers the necessity of an expression of their thoughts and
feelings? She maintained her silence, therefore, sighing, and concealing
her face in her hands. These sighs and tears, which had at first
distressed, then terrified Louis XIV., now irritated him. He could not
bear opposition,--the opposition which tears and sighs exhibited, any
more than opposition of any other kind. His remarks, therefore, became
bitter, urgent, and openly aggressive in their nature. This was a
fresh cause of distress for the poor girl. From that very circumstance,
therefore, which she regarded as an injustice on her lover's part, she
drew sufficient courage to bear, not only her other troubles, but this
one also.

The king next began to accuse her in direct terms. La Valliere did not
even attempt to defend herself; she endured all his accusations without
according any other reply than that of shaking her head; without any
other remark than that which escapes the heart in deep distress--a
prayerful appeal to Heaven for help. But this ejaculation, instead of
calming the king's displeasure, rather increased it. He, moreover, saw
himself seconded by Saint-Aignan, for Saint-Aignan, as we have observed,
having seen the storm increasing, and not knowing the extent of the
regard of which Louis XIV. was capable, felt, by anticipation, all the
collected wrath of the three princesses, and the near approa