"You are waited for in the Rue Saint Antoine, opposite the Rue de Jou "" "And no signature?" "None, but three words, three delicious words, that promised a triple happiness." "And what were these three words?" "EROS, CUPIDO, AMOR." "Three soft, pretty names, by my faith; and did they fulfil what they promised?"" "Oh, yes, madame," cried la Mole, with enthusiasm, "a hundred-fold!" "Continue. I am anxious to know what awaited the Rue Saint Antoine." you at "Two duennas, who stipulated that our eyes should be bandaged. Your majesty may imagine we made no great difficulty. My guide led me to the right, my friend's led him to the left." "And then?" asked Marguerite. "I do not know where they took my friend; perhaps to the infernal regions," said la Mole; "but I was taken to Paradise." "And whence your too great inquisitiveness no doubt got you expelled." 66 Exactly so: your majesty has the gift of divination. I waited until day should come to show me where I was, when the duenna entered, blindfolded me again, and led me away, out of the house, and some hundred paces on, and then made me promise not to take off the bandage till I had counted fifty. I counted fifty, and then, on taking off the handkerchief, found myself in the Rue St. Antoine, opposite the Rue de Jouy. On returning here, just now, I perceived a fragment of my plume, which I shall preserve as a precious relic of this glorious night. But amidst my happiness, one thing disquiets me: what can have become of my friend." "He is not at the Louvre, then?" "Alas, no; and I have sought him at the Belle Etoile, at the Tennis Court, and everywhere, but there is no Hannibal to be found." As he said this, and accompanied his lamentation by throwing up his arms, la Mole disclosed his doublet, which was torn and cut in several places. 66 Why, you have been completely riddled!" said Marguerite. "Riddled-that is the exact word," said la Mole, not sorry to make the most of the danger he had incurred. 66 'Why did you not change your doublet at the Louvre, "when you got back?" 66 Why," said la Mole, "because there was some one in my chamber." "How some one in your chamber?" said Marguerite, whose eyes expressed the greatest astonishment. "His highness "Hush!" said Marguerite. The young man obeyed. "Qui ad lecticam meam stant?" "Duo pueri et unus eques." "Who?" "Optimè barbari," said she. "Dic, Moles, quem inveneris in cubiculo tuo ?" "Franciscum ducem." "Cum ignoto.' "Singular," said Marguerite. "So you have not found Coconnas?" 66 No, madame, and I am dying with anxiety." "Well," said Marguerite, "I will not further delay your search; but I have an idea he will be found before long. But nevertheless, go and look for him." And the queen placed her finger on her lip. Now, as Marguerite had not communicated any secret to la Mole, he comprehended that this charming sign must have another meaning. The cortège pursued its way; and la Mole proceeded along the quay, till he came to the Rue du Long-Pont, which took him into the Rue Saint-Antoine. 1 "Who are with the litter ?" "Two pages and a groom." "Good; they wont understand us. Tell me, la Mole, whom did you find in your chamber ?" "Duke Francis." "What was he doing?" "I don't know." "Who was with him ?" "A man I don't know." He stopped opposite the Rue de Jouy. It was there, the previous evening, that the duennas had blindfolded Coconnas and himself; he well remembered he had turned to the right and counted twenty paces; he did so again, and found himself opposite a house, or rather a wall, with a house in it: in the middle of the wall was a door studded with large nails. The house was in the Rue Cloche-Percée, a little narrow street that commences in the Rue St.-Antoine, and ends in the Rue du Roi-de-Sicile. "This is it: as I left the "Sangbleu !" said la Mole. house, I touched the nails, and as I descended the second step, that man who was killed in the Rue du Roi-de-Sicile, passed, crying for help." La Mole knocked at the door. A porter with a vast moustache opened it. "Was est dass ?" said he. 66 Ah," said la Mole to himself; "we are German, it seems: My friend," continued he, "I want my sword, which I left here last night.” "Ich verstehe nicht," said the porter. "My sword 66 -In this house, where I passed the night." "Gehe zum Teufel." And he shut the door in his face. "Mordieu! said la Mole, "had I my sword, I would pass it through your body." La Mole then struck into the Rue du Roi-de-Sicile, turned to the right, counted fifty paces, turned to the right again, and found himself in the Rue Tizon, a little street parallel with the Rue Cloche-Percée, and exactly like it. Scarcely had he taken thirty steps when he found the little door studded with nails, the narrow loopholes, the two steps and the wall. La Mole then reflected that he might have mistaken his 1 "What's that?" 2 "I don't understand you." 3 "Go to the devil!" right for his left, and he knocked at this door, but spite of his reiterated attempts, no one came. He walked round the same way several times, and then arrived at the natural conclusion, that the house had two entrances, one in the Rue Tizon, the other, Rue Cloche-Percée. But this logical reasoning did not give him back his sword, or his friend. He had for an instant an idea of purchasing another rapier, and pinking the porter; but he was checked by the reflection, that if he belonged to Marguerite, she, doubtless, had her reasons for selecting him, and would be vexed were she deprived of him. Now la Mole would not for the world have done anything to vex Marguerite. To avoid the temptation, he returned to the Louvre. This time his apartment was empty; and being in no small haste to change his pourpoint, which was somewhat dilapidated, he hastened to the bed to take down his fine grey satin doublet, when, to his intense amazement, he saw hanging beside it the identical sword he had left in the Rue Cloche-Percée. He took it and examined it; it was indeed the same. 66 Ah, ah!" said he, "there is some magic in this." Then, with a sigh: "Ah, if Coconnas would come back, like this sword! Two or three hours afterwards, the door in the Rue Tizon opened. It was five o'clock, and consequently dark. A female enveloped in a long furred mantle, accompanied by a servant, came out of the door, glided rapidly into the Rue du Roi-de-Sicile, knocked at a little door of the Hotel d'Argenson, entered the hotel, left it again by the great gate that opens into the Vieille Rue du Temple, reached a private door of the Hotel de Guise, opened it with a pass-key, and disappeared. Half an hour afterwards, a young man, his eyes bandaged, came out of the same door of the same house, led by an old woman, who took him to the corner of the Rue Geoffroy-Lasnier and de la Mortellerie. There she bade him count fifty paces, and then take off the handkerchief. The young man complied scrupulously with these directions, and at the prescribed number took off the bandage. "Mordi!" cried he, "I'll be hanged if I know where I am! Six o'clock! Why where can la Mole be? I'll run to the Louvre; I shall perhaps hear of him there." So saying, Coconnas started off, and arrived at the Louvre · in less time than a horse would have performed the distance. He questioned the Swiss and the sentinel. The Swiss thought he had seen M. de la Mole go out, but he had not seen him return. The sentinel had only been on guard an hour and a half, and had seen nothing. Coconnas ascended the stairs, entered la Mole's room, and found nothing but his torn doublet, which redoubled his anxiety. He then betook himself to la Huriere's. La Huriere had seen M. la Mole-M. de la Mole had breakfasted there. Re-assured by these tidings, Coconnas ordered supper, which occupied him until eight o'clock, when, recruited by a good meal and two bottles of wine, he again started in search of his friend. For an hour Coconnas traversed the streets near the Quai de la Rève, the Rue St. Antoine, and the Rues Tizon and Cloche-Percée. At last he returned to the Louvre, determined to watch under the gate there until la Mole's return. He was not a hundred paces from the Louvre, and was assisting a female to rise, whose husband he had upset just before, when, by the light of a large lamp, he perceived the cherry-velvet mantle and white plume of his friend, which, like a ghost, disappeared beneath the portal of the Louvre. The cherry-coloured mantle was too well known to be for an instant mistaken. "Mordi!" cried Coconnas; "it is he at last! Eh, la Mole! Why does he not answer? Fortunately my legs are as good as my voice." "He dashed after Cherry Mantle, but only in time to see him, as he entered the court, disappear in the vestibule. "La Mole!" cried Coconnas-"stop! stop! why are you in such haste?" Cherry Mantle mounted the second story as if he had wings. "Ah, you are angry with me. Well, I can go no further." Coconnas ceased the pursuit, but followed with his eyes the |