with her?"

The queen clapped her hands together, and began to laugh. "Philip," she
said, "your jealousy is not merely a defect, it is a disease."

"Whether a defect or a disease, madame, I am the sufferer from it."

"And do you imagine that a complaint which exists only in your own
imagination can be cured? You wish it to be said you are right in being
jealous, when there is no ground whatever for your jealousy."

"Of course, you will begin to say for this gentleman what you already
said on the behalf of the other."

"Because, Philip," said the queen dryly, "what you did for the other,
you are going to do for this one."

The prince bowed, slightly annoyed. "If I give you facts," he said,
"will you believe me?"

"If it regarded anything else but jealousy, I would believe you without
your bringing facts forward; but as jealousy is the case, I promise
nothing."

"It is just the same as if your majesty were to desire me to hold my
tongue, and sent me away unheard."

"Far from it; you are my son, I owe you a mother's indulgence."

"Oh, say what you think; you owe me as much indulgence as a madman
deserves."

"Do not exaggerate, Philip, and take care how you represent your wife to
me as a woman of depraved mind--"

"But facts, mother, facts!"

"Well, I am listening."

"This morning at ten o'clock they were playing music in Madame's
apartments."

"No harm in that, surely."

"M. de Guiche was talking with her alone--Ah! I forgot to tell you,
that, during the last ten days, he has never left her side."

"If they were doing any harm they would hide themselves."

"Very good," exclaimed the duke, "I expected you to say that. Pray
remember with precision the words you have just uttered. This morning
I took them by surprise, and showed my dissatisfaction in a very marked
manner."

"Rely upon it, that is quite sufficient; it was, perhaps, even a little
too much. These young women easily take offense. To reproach them for
an error they have not committed is, sometimes, almost equivalent to
telling them they might be guilty of even worse."

"Very good, very good; but wait a minute. Do not forget what you have
just this moment said, that this morning's lesson ought to have been
sufficient, and that if they had been doing what was wrong, they would
have hidden themselves."

"Yes, I said so."

"Well, just now, repenting of my hastiness of the morning, and imagining
that Guiche was sulking in his own apartment