but notwithstanding that, all women, even the
least clever of the sex, invariably know how to derive some such means
of turning the tables. The king had forgotten that he was paying her a
visit in order to say to her, "What have you done to my brother?" and he
was reduced to weakly asking her, "What have they done to you?"

"What have they done to me?" replied Madame. "One must be a woman to
understand it, sire--they have made me shed tears;" and, with one of
her fingers, whose slenderness and perfect whiteness were unequaled,
she pointed to her brilliant eyes swimming with unshed drops, and again
began to weep.

"I implore you, my dear sister!" said the king, advancing to take her
warm and throbbing hand, which she abandoned to him.

"In the first place, sire, I was deprived of the presence of my
brother's friend. The Duke of Buckingham was an agreeable, cheerful
visitor; my own countryman, who knew my habits; I will say almost a
companion, so accustomed had we been to pass our days together, with our
other friends, upon the beautiful piece of water at St. James's."

"But Villiers was in love with you."

"A pretext! What does it matter," she said, seriously, "whether the duke
was in love with me or not? Is a man in love so very dangerous for
me? Ah! sire, it is not sufficient for a man to love a woman." And she
smiled so tenderly, and with so much archness, that the king felt his
heart swell and throb in his breast.

"At all events, if my brother were jealous?" interrupted the king.

"Very well, I admit that is a reason; and the duke was sent away
accordingly."

"No, not sent away."

"Driven away, dismissed, expelled, then, if you prefer it, sire. One of
the first gentlemen of Europe obliged to leave the court of the King
of France, of Louis XIV., like a beggar, on account of a glance or a
bouquet. It was little worthy of a most gallant court; but forgive me,
sire; I forgot, that, in speaking thus, I am attacking your sovereign
power."

"I assure you, my dear sister, it was not I who dismissed the Duke of
Buckingham; I was charmed with him."

"It was not you?" said Madame; "ah! so much the better;" and she
emphasized the "so much the better," as if she had instead said, "so
much the worse."

A few minutes' silence ensued. She then resumed: "The Duke of Buckingham
having left--I now know why and by whose means--I thought I should have
recovered my tranquillity; but not at all, for all at once Monsieur
f