She had got lost in the most absurd
suppositions and conjectures when the notary appeared. Discovering from
the first words she uttered that she was in complete ignorance of all
that had taken place, he explained to her that when the interview between
the chevalier and Mademoiselle de Guerchi had just at the most
interesting moment been so unceremoniously interrupted by the arrival of
the duke, he had become so absorbed in watching them that he had not
noticed that the partition was bending before the pressure of his body,
and that just as the duke drew his sword it suddenly gave way, and he,
Quennebert, being thus left without support, tumbled head foremost into
the next room, among a perfect chaos of overturned furniture and lamps;
that almost before he could rise he was forced to draw in self-defence,
and had to make his escape, defending himself against both the duke and
the chevalier; that they had pursued him so hotly, that when he found
himself free he was too far from the house and the hour was too advanced
to admit of his returning, Quennebert added innumerable protestations of
friendship, devotion, and gratitude, and, furnished with his twelve
hundred crowns, went away, leaving the widow reassured as to his safety,
but still shaken from her fright.

While the notary was thus soothing the widow, Angelique was exhausting
all the expedients her trade had taught her in the attempt to remove the
duke's suspicions. She asserted she was the victim of an unforeseen
attack which nothing in her conduct had ever authorised. The young
Chevalier de Moranges had, gained admittance, she declared, under the
pretext that he brought her news from the duke, the one man who occupied
her thoughts, the sole object of her love. The chevalier had seen her
lover, he said, a few days before, and by cleverly appealing to things
back, he had led her to fear that the duke had grown tired of her, and
that a new conquest was the cause of his absence. She had not believed
these insinuations, although his long silence would have justified the
most mortifying suppositions, the most cruel doubts. At length the
chevalier had grown bolder, and had declared his passion for her;
whereupon she had risen and ordered him to leave her. Just at that
moment the duke had entered, and had taken the natural agitation and
confusion of the chevalier as signs of her guilt. Some explanation was
also necessary to account for the presence of the two oth