M. de la Mole," said Charles-" M. de la Mole, we must summon Henry and d'Alençon: Henry, because this young man is a huguenot-d'Alençon, because he is in his service."

"Summon them if you will, my son, you will learn nothing. I fear there exists a better understanding between Henry and François than you imagine."

Charles walked up and down rapidly, biting his lips and pressing his hand to his heart, as if to restrain his wrath.

66 No, no," said he, "I will not wait! Let some one summon the duke d'Alençon, then Henry. I will interrogate them separately. As for you, you can stay, if you please."

The duke d'Alençon entered. His conversation with Henry had prepared him for this interview; he was therefore perfectly collected.

His answers were most precise. Warned by his mother not to quit his apartments, he was ignorant of the events of the night; only as those apartments were in the same corridor as the king of Navarre's he had heard footsteps, then the sound of a door opening, and the report of fire-arms; he had ventured to open his door slightly, and had seen a man in a red mantle escape.

Charles and the queen looked at each other.

"In a red mantle?" said the king.

"Yes."

"And did not this mantle give you any suspicions as to who the person was?"

D'Alençon collected all his presence of mind, in order to lie more naturally.

"I confess," said he, "I thought I recognised the mantle of one of my gentlemen."

"Which of them?"

"M. de la Mole."

"Why was he not in attendance on you?"

"I had given him leave of absence."

"That will do: go."

The duke advanced towards the door.

"No-this way," said Charles, pointing to the door which led to his nurse's apartments.

Charles did not wish François and Henry should see each

other. He was ignorant that they had already met for a few moments, and that this short time had sufficed to arrange their plans.

Behind d'Alençon, and at a sign from Charles, came Henry.

66 Sire," said he, you have done well to send for me, for I was coming to seek you, to demand justice."

Charles frowned.

"Yes, justice!" said Henry. "I commence by thanking your majesty for having taken me with you last night, for I now know that by so doing you saved my life; but what have I done to deserve being assassinated?"

"It was not an assassination," said Catherine; "it was an arrest.'

"Well!" returned Henry-" what crime have I committed? I am as guilty to-day as yesterday. What is my crime, I ask again, sire?"

Charles looked at his mother, somewhat embarrassed for an

answer.

"My son," said Catherine, "you hold communication with suspected persons."

"And these suspected persons compromise me--is it not so, madame?"

"Yes, Henry."

"Name them, then-name them-confront me with them!" 'Why, ay," said Charles, "Harry has a right to an explanation."

"And I demand one," said Henry, who saw his advantage, and resolved to use it-"I demand one from my brother Charles, from my stepmother Catherine. Since my marriage, have I not been a good husband?-ask Marguerite. A good catholic?-ask my confessor. A good brother?-ask all those who were at the hunt yesterday."

"It is true, Harry," replied the king; "but they say you conspire."

Against whom?"

'Against me."

"Sire, were that true, I needed only to have let events take their course when the boar was on you."

"Eh, mort diable! he is right, mother."

"But who was last night in your apartments?"

"Madame," returned Henry, "I can scarcely answer for myself, much less for others. I left my apartments at a quarter past seven, and the king took me with him at nine; and I did not quit his majesty all the night: I could not be with him and in the Louvre at the same time."

"But," said Catherine, "it is not the less true that some one of your followers killed two of the king's guards, and wounded M. de Maurevel."

"One of my followers!" cried Henry. "Name him, then.” 'Every one accuses M. de la Mole."

"M. de la Mole is not in my service, but in that of the duke d'Alençon, to whom Marguerite recommended him." "But," said Charles, was it M. de la Mole who was there?"

"How should I know, sire? I do not say yes or no. M. de la Mole is a very gallant gentleman, devoted to the queen of Navarre, and who often brings me messages from Marguerite, to whom he is very grateful for having recommended him to the duke d'Alençon, or from the duke himself. I know not if it were he or not."

"It was he," said Catherine; "he was recognised by his red mantle."

"Ah, he has a red mantle?" asked Henry.

"Yes."

"And the man who so maltreated your guards and M. de Maurevel had a red mantle?"

"Exactly so," replied Charles.

"I have nothing to say to that," answered the Béarnais; "but it seems to me that, instead of sending for me, it was M. de la Mole who should have been sent for: but there is one thing I would remark."

"What is that?"

"That if I had resisted the king's order I should be culpable, and merit severe punishment; but it was not me, it was a stranger in no way concerned, whom they sought to arrest; he defended himself, and he had a right to do so." "Yet-" murmured Catherine.

me?"

Madame," demanded Henry, I was the order to arrest

"Yes; and the king had signed it.”

"But was it in the order to arrest any one found in my place?"

"No."

"Well, then," continued Henry, "unless it can be proved I am plotting against the king, and that the man in my chamber is plotting with me, he is innocent. Sire,” continued he, turning to Charles IX. "I do not quit the Louvre, or I am ready at your majesty's orders to retire to any state prison you may think fit to indicate, but for the meantime I have a right to declare myself the loyal subject and brother of your majesty."

And saluting them with an air of dignity Charles had never before seen in him, Henry withdrew.

"Bravo, Harry!" cried Charles.

"Bravo! because he has beaten us?"

"And why not? When he hits me in fencing, don't I cry, bravo! Mother, you are wrong to despise this young man.' "My son! I do not hate-I fear him."

"Well, you're wrong; for if he were really plotting against me, he only need have let the boar alone yesterday.'

"Yes," said Catherine, "and so have made d'Anjou, his personal enemy, king of France."

"Never mind what motive made him save my life; suffice it, he did save it. Mort de tous les diables! I will not have him meddled with; as for M. de la Mole, I will speak to d'Alençon about him."

Catherine took her leave. On re-entering her chamber, she found Marguerite waiting for her.

"Ah, ah!" said she-"it is you, my daughter: I sent for you last night."

"This morning, madame, I come to tell your majesty you are about to commit a great injustice; you are going to arrest M. de la Mole."

"It is probable."

"Accused of having killed two of the king's guards, and wounded M. de Maurevel last night, in the king of Navarre's chamber.

"That is what he is charged with.'

"He is wrongfully accused; M. de la Mole is not guilty." "Not guilty!" cried Catherine, joyfully; for she hoped to learn something from what Marguerite was about to tell her. "No," returned Marguerite, "he cannot be guilty, for he was not there."

"Where was he, then?"

<< With me."

"With you?"

"Yes."

Catherine, instead of darting a look of indignation at her daughter, quietly folded her hands in her lap.

"If not M. de la Mole, who was there, then?" said she. "I know not," returned Marguerite, hesitatingly. "Come, do not tell me the truth by halves."

“I tell you, madame, I do not know," said Marguerite, turning pale in spite of herself.

66

"Well, well," said the queen-mother, we shall find out. Go, my child; your mother watches over your honour." Marguerite retired.

"Ah!" murmured Catherine-"Henry and Marguerite have an understanding together; provided she is silent, he is blind. Ah, my children, you think yourselves strong in your union, but I will crush you. Besides, all must be known, the day when Maurevel can write or pronounce six letters."

And hereupon Catherine returned to the royal apartments, where she found Charles in conference with d'Alençon. "You here, ma mere!" said Charles.

"Why not say again, for that was in your thoughts?" "I keep my thoughts to myself," returned the king, with that harsh tone he sometimes adopted even to Catherine. "What have you to say?"

"That you were right, Charles; and you, d'Alencon,

"It was not la Mole who was in the king of Navarre's apartments."

"Who then?" asked Charles.

"We shall know when Maurevel is recovered, but let us speak of la Mole."

"What do you want with him, since he was not with the king of Navarre?"

"No, but he was with the queen."

"The queen!" cried Charles, bursting into a loud laugh. "No, no, Guise told us he met her litter."

"Just so," said Catherine; "she has a house in Paris." "Rue Cloche-Percée?"