that, I do not say no. Prepare, poor king!"

"If you are not a shade, how could you come unnoticed into my room,
through the guarded corridors?" And Henri, abandoning himself to new
terrors, threw himself down in the bed and covered up his head.

"Come, come," cried Chicot; "you have only to touch me to be convinced."

"But how did you come?"

"Why, I have still the key that you gave me, and which I hung round my
neck to enrage your gentlemen, and with this I entered."

"By the secret door, then?"

"Certainly."

"And why to-day more than yesterday?"

"Ah! that you shall hear."

Henri, sitting up again, said like a child, "Do not tell me anything
disagreeable, Chicot; I am so glad to see you again."

"I will tell the truth; so much the worse if it be disagreeable."

"But your fear of Mayenne is not serious?"

"Very serious, on the contrary. You understand that M. de Mayenne gave
me fifty blows with a stirrup leather, in return for which I gave him
one hundred with the sheath of my sword. No doubt he thinks, therefore,
that he still owes me fifty, so that I should not have come to you now,
however great your need, had I not known him to be at Soissons."

"Well, Chicot, I take you now under my protection, and I wish that you
should be resuscitated and appear openly."

"What folly!"

"I will protect you, on my royal word."

"Bah! I have better than that."

"What?"

"My hole, where I remain."

"I forbid it," cried the king, jumping out of bed.

"Henri, you will catch cold; go back to bed, I pray."

"You are right, but you exasperated me. How, when I have enough guards,
Swiss, Scotch, and French, for my own defense, should I not have enough
for yours?"

"Let us see: you have the Swiss--"

"Yes, commanded by Tocquenot."

"Good! then you have the Scotch--"

"Commanded by Larchant."

"Very well! and you have the French guards--"

"Commanded by Crillon. And then--but I do not know if I ought to tell
you--"

"I did not ask you."

"A novelty, Chicot!"

"A novelty?"

"Yes; imagine forty-five brave gentlemen."

"Forty-five? What do you mean?"

"Forty-five gentlemen."

"Where did you find them? Not in Paris, I suppose?"

"No, but they arrived here yesterday."

"Oh!" cried Chicot, with a sudden illumination, "I know these
gentlemen."

"Really!"

"Forty-five beggars, who only want the wallet; figures to make one die
with laughter."

"Chicot, there are splendid men among them."

"G