o well begun,
and attach yourself to our house?"

These words, said in the gracious tone that the duchess knew so well how
to use, were very flattering to Ernanton, after the avowal which he had
made; but the young man, putting vanity aside, attributed them to simple
curiosity.

He knew well that the king, in making it a condition that he should
reveal the duchess's place of abode, had some object in view. Two
interests contended within him--his love, _that_ he might sacrifice; and
his honor, which he could not. The temptation was all the stronger, that
by avowing his position near the king, he should gain an enormous
importance in the eyes of the duchess; and it was not a light
consideration for a young man to be important in the eyes of the
Duchesse de Montpensier. St. Maline would not have resisted a minute.
All these thoughts rushed through Ernanton's mind, but ended by making
him stronger than before.

"Madame," said he, "I have already had the honor of telling M. de
Mayenne that I serve a good master, who treats me too well for me to
desire to seek another."

"My brother tells me in his letter, monsieur, that you seemed not to
recognize him. How, if, you did not know him, then, did you use his name
to penetrate to me?"

"M. de Mayenne seemed to wish to preserve his incognito, madame; and I,
therefore, did not think I ought to recognize him; and it might have
been disagreeable for the peasants to know what an illustrious guest
they were entertaining. Here there was no reason for secrecy; on the
contrary, the name of M. de Mayenne opened the way to you; so I thought
that here, as there, I acted rightly."

The duchess smiled, and said, "No one could extricate himself better
from an embarrassing question: and you are, I must confess, a clever
man."

"I see no cleverness in what I have had the honor of telling you,
madame."

"Well, monsieur," said the duchess, impatiently, "I see clearly that you
will tell nothing. You do not reflect that gratitude is a heavy burden
for one of my house to bear; that you have twice rendered me a service,
and that if I wished to know your name, or rather who you are--"

"I know, madame, you would learn it easily; but you would learn it from
some one else, and I should have told nothing."

"He is always right," cried the duchess, with a look which gave Ernanton
more pleasure than ever a look had done before. Therefore he asked no
more, but like the gourmand who leaves the ta