ed him, and while the worldly cardinal advanced to
take the beautiful page by the hand, Henri du Bouchage darted from the
apartment, and so quickly, too, that when Francois returned with the
lady, smiling with the hope of winning a heart back again to the world,
the room was perfectly empty.

Francois frowned; then, seating himself before a table covered with
papers and letters, he hurriedly wrote a few lines.

"May I trouble you to ring, dear countess," he said, "since you have
your hand near the bell."

And as the page obeyed, a valet-de-chambre in the confidence of the
cardinal appeared.

"Let a courier start on horseback, without a moment's loss of time,"
said Francois, "and take this letter to Monsieur le Grand-amiral a
Chateau-Thierry."

CHAPTER LXXXV.

NEWS FROM AURILLY.

On the following day the king was working at the Louvre with the
superintendent of finances, when an attendant entered to inform his
majesty that Monsieur de Joyeuse, the eldest son of that family, had
just arrived, and was waiting for him in the large audience chamber,
having come from Chateau-Thierry, with a message from Monsieur le Duc
d'Anjou.

The king precipitately left the business which occupied him, and ran to
meet a friend whom he regarded with so much affection.

A large number of officers and courtiers crowded the cabinet; the
queen-mother had arrived that evening, escorted by her maids of honor,
and these light-hearted girls were, like suns, always attended by their
satellites.

The king gave Joyeuse his hand to kiss, and glanced with a satisfied
expression around the assembly.

In the angle of the entrance door, in his usual place, stood Henry du
Bouchage, rigorously discharging his service and the duties which were
imposed on him.

The king thanked him, and saluted him with a friendly recognition, to
which Henri replied by a profound reverence.

This good intelligence which prevailed between them made Joyeuse turn
his head and smilingly look at his brother, without, however, saluting
him in too marked a manner, from the fear of violating etiquette.

"Sire," said Joyeuse, "I am sent to your majesty by Monsieur le Duc
d'Anjou, recently returned from the expedition to Flanders."

"Is my brother well, Monsieur l'Amiral?" inquired the king.

"As well, sire, as the state of his mind will permit; however, I will
not conceal from your majesty that he appears to be suffering greatly."

"He must need something