had left him,
permitted Monsieur the time to assume a diplomatic countenance. He did
not turn round, but waited till the _maitre d'hotel_ should bring the
messenger face to face with him.

Raoul stopped even with the lower end of the table, so as to be exactly
between Monsieur and Madame. From this place he made a profound bow to
Monsieur, and a very humble one to Madame; then, drawing himself up into
military pose, he waited for Monsieur to address him.

On his part the prince waited till the doors were hermetically closed;
he would not turn round to ascertain the fact, as that would have been
derogatory to his dignity, but he listened with all his ears for the
noise of the lock, which would promise him at least an appearance of
secrecy.

The doors being closed, Monsieur raised his eyes towards the vicomte,
and said, "It appears that you come from Paris, monsieur?"

"This minute, monseigneur."

"How is the king?"

"His majesty is in perfect health, monseigneur."

"And my sister-in-law?"

"Her majesty the queen-mother still suffers from the complaint in her
chest, but for the last month she has been rather better."

"Somebody told me you came on the part of M. le Prince. They must have
been mistaken, surely?"

"No, monseigneur; M. le Prince has charged me to convey this letter to
your royal highness, and I am to wait for an answer to it."

Raoul had been a little annoyed by this cold and cautious reception, and
his voice insensibly sank to a low key.

The prince forgot that he was the cause of this apparent mystery, and
his fears returned.

He received the letter from the Prince de Conde with a haggard look,
unsealed it as he would have unsealed a suspicious packet, and in order
to read it so that no one should remark the effects of it upon his
countenance, he turned round.

Madame followed, with an anxiety almost equal to that of the prince,
every maneuver of her august husband.

Raoul, impassible, and a little disengaged by the attention of his
hosts, looked from his place through the open window at the gardens and
the statues which peopled them.

"Well!" cried Monsieur, all at once, with a cheerful smile; "here is
an agreeable surprise, and a charming letter from M. le Prince. Look,
Madame!"

The table was too large to allow the arm of the prince to reach the hand
of Madame; Raoul sprang forward to be their intermediary, and did it
with so good a grace as to procure a flattering acknowledgemen