d tale?"

"Why, as everybody else did, from La Valliere herself, who confessed her
love to Montalais and Tonnay-Charente, who were her companions."

Madame stopped suddenly, and by a hasty movement let go her husband's
hand.

"Did you say it was an hour ago she made this confession?" Madame
inquired.

"About that time."

"Is the king aware of it?"

"Why, that is the very thing which constitutes the perfect romance of
the affair, for the king was behind the royal oak with Saint-Aignan, and
heard the whole of the interesting conversation without losing a single
word of it."

Madame felt struck to the heart, saying incautiously, "But I have seen
the king since, and he never told me a word about it."

"Of course," said Monsieur; "he took care not to speak of it to you
himself, since he recommended every one not to say a word about it."

"What do you mean?" said Madame, growing angry.

"I mean that they wished to keep you in ignorance of the affair
altogether."

"But why should they wish to conceal it from me?"

"From the fear that your friendship for the young queen might induce you
to say something about it to her, nothing more."

Madame hung down her head; her feelings were grievously wounded. She
could not enjoy a moment's repose until she had met the king. As a king
is, most naturally, the very last person in his kingdom who knows what
is said about him, in the same way that a lover is the only one who is
kept in ignorance of what is said about his mistress, therefore, when
the king perceived Madame, who was looking for him, he approached her
in some perturbation, but still gracious and attentive in his manner.
Madame waited for him to speak about La Valliere first; but as he did
not speak of her, she said, "And the poor girl?"

"What poor girl?" said the king.

"La Valliere. Did you not tell me, sire, that she had fainted?"

"She is still very ill," said the king, affecting the greatest
indifference.

"But surely that will prejudicially affect the rumor you were going to
spread, sire?"

"What rumor?"

"That your attention was taken up by her."

"Oh!" said the king, carelessly, "I trust it will be reported all the
same."

Madame still waited; she wished to know if the king would speak to her
of the adventure of the royal oak. But the king did not say a word about
it. Madame, on her side, did not open her lips about it; so that the
king took leave of her without having reposed the slightest c