sufficiently to prevent her looking at the king, and she
saw him fix his eyes devouringly on Mademoiselle de la Valliere. This
undaunted maid of honor, Mademoiselle de Montalais, be it understood,
forced the king to lower his gaze, and so saved Louise de la Valliere
from a sympathetic warmth of feeling this gaze might possibly have
conveyed. Louis was appropriated by Madame, who overwhelmed him with
inquiries, and no one in the world knew how to ask questions better than
she did. He tried, however, to render the conversation general, and,
with the view of effecting this, he redoubled his attention and devotion
to her. Madame coveted complimentary remarks, and, determined to procure
them at any cost, she addressed herself to the king, saying:

"Sire, your majesty, who is aware of everything which occurs in your
kingdom, ought to know beforehand the verses confided to M. Loret by
this nymph; will your majesty kindly communicate them to us?"

"Madame," replied the king, with perfect grace of manner, "I dare
not--you, personally, might be in no little degree confused at having to
listen to certain details--but Saint-Aignan tells a story well, and has
a perfect recollection of the verses. If he does not remember them, he
will invent. I can certify he is almost a poet himself." Saint-Aignan,
thus brought prominently forward, was compelled to introduce himself
as advantageously as possible. Unfortunately, however, for Madame, he
thought of his own personal affairs only; in other words, instead of
paying Madame the compliments she so much desired and relished, his
mind was fixed upon making as much display as possible of his own
good fortune. Again glancing, therefore, for the hundredth time at the
beautiful Athenais, who carried into practice her previous evening's
theory of not even deigning to look at her adorer, he said:--

"Your majesty will perhaps pardon me for having too indifferently
remembered the verses which the nymph dictated to Loret; but if the
king has not retained any recollection of them, how could I possibly
remember?"

Madame did not receive this shortcoming of the courtier very favorably.

"Ah! madame," added Saint-Aignan, "at present it is no longer a question
what the water-nymphs have to say; and one would almost be tempted to
believe that nothing of any interest now occurs in those liquid realms.
It is upon earth, madame, important events happen. Ah! Madame, upon the
earth, how many tales are there