, and
a simmering of excitement also in his manner. "From Paris, my lords?"
he asked, rubbing his hands and bowing low. "Or from the south?"

"From the south," I answered. "From Orleans, and hungry and tired,
Master Host."

"Ah!" he replied, disregarding the latter part of my answer, while his
little eyes twinkled with satisfaction. "Then I dare swear, my lords,
you have not heard the news?" He halted in the narrow passage, and
lifting the candle he carried, scanned our faces closely, as if he
wished to learn something about us before he spoke.

"News!" I answered brusquely, being both tired, and as I had told him,
hungry. "We have heard none, and the best you can give us will be that
our supper is ready to be served."

But even this snub did not check his eagerness to tell his news. "The
Admiral de Coligny," he said, breathlessly, "you have not heard what
has happened to him?"

"To the admiral? No, what?" I inquired rapidly. I was interested at
last.

For a moment let me digress. The few of my age will remember, and the
many younger will have been told, that at this time the Italian
queen-mother was the ruling power in France. It was Catharine de'
Medici's first object to maintain her influence over Charles the
Ninth--her son; who, ricketty, weak, and passionate, was already doomed
to an early grave. Her second, to support the royal power by balancing
the extreme Catholics against the Huguenots. For the latter purpose
she would coquet first with one party, then with the other. At the
present moment she had committed herself more deeply than was her wont
to the Huguenots. Their leaders, the Admiral Gaspard de Coligny, the
King of Navarre, and the Prince of Conde, were supposed to be high in
favour, while the chiefs of the other party, the Duke of Guise, and the
two Cardinals of his house, the Cardinal of Lorraine and the Cardinal
of Guise, were in disgrace; which, as it seemed, even their friend at
court, the queen's favourite son, Henry of Anjou, was unable to
overcome.

Such was the outward aspect of things in August, 1572, but there were
not wanting rumours that already Coligny, taking advantage of the
footing given him, had gained an influence over the young king, which
threatened Catharine de' Medici herself. The admiral, therefore, to
whom the Huguenot half of France had long looked as to its leader, was
now the object of the closest interest to all; the Guise faction,
hating him--as the