hold of him?"

"Yes; but with certain precautions. We must take him in the act."

"Nothing easier. He goes every morning at eight o'clock to the king."

"Yes."

"Be to-morrow at half-past seven at Versailles."

"Well?"

"You will go to his majesty before him."----"Very well."

The regent and Dubois talked for some little time longer, after which
Dubois took his leave.

"There is no supper this evening," said Dubois to the usher, "give
notice to the guests; the regent is ill."

That evening at nine o'clock the regent left the Palais Royal, and,
contrary to his ordinary habit, slept at Versailles.

CHAPTER XXXII.

A SNARE.

The next day, about seven o'clock in the morning, at the time when the
king rose, an usher entered his majesty's room and announced that his
royal highness, Monseigneur le Duc d'Orleans, solicited the honor of
assisting at his toilet. Louis XV., who was not yet accustomed to decide
anything for himself, turned toward Monsieur de Frejus, who was seated
in the least conspicuous corner of the room, as if to ask what he should
say; and to this mute question Monsieur de Frejus not only made a sign
with his head signifying that it was necessary to receive his royal
highness, but rose and went himself to open the door. The regent stopped
a minute on the doorstep to thank Fleury, then having assured himself by
a rapid glance round the room that the Marshal de Villeroy had not yet
arrived, he advanced toward the king.

Louis XV. was at this time a pretty child of nine or ten years of age,
with long chestnut hair, jet-black eyes, and a mouth like a cherry, and
a rosy complexion like that of his mother, Mary of Savoy, duchesse de
Burgundy, but which was liable to sudden paleness. Although his
character was already very irresolute, thanks to the contradictory
influences of the double government of the Marshal de Villeroy and
Monsieur de Frejus, he had something ardent in his face which stamped
him as the great-grandson of Louis XIV.; and he had a trick of putting
on his hat like him. At first, warned against the Duc d'Orleans as the
man in all France from whom he had most to fear, he had felt that
prejudice yield little by little during the interviews which they had
had together, in which, with that juvenile instinct which so rarely
deceives children, he had recognized a friend.

On his part, it must be said that the Duc d'Orleans had for the king,
beside the respect which was his due, a