Ah, that fellow must have sprinkled me when we were fighting together."

"Have you, then, fought any one?"

"To be sure I have !"

"And still on la Mole's account."

"For whem do you think I should fight? For a woman? No, no; I will tell you all about it. I followed the person who had dared to take upon himself to imitate the walk and manner of my friend, and overtook him in the Rue Coquillière. I eyed him every way, by the light from a shop window-well, it was not my poor la Mole!"

"So far, so good!"

"Ay, but my unknown gentleman turned quite angry about my following him, and when I said, 'Sir, you are an ass and a fool to take upon yourself to bear a distant resemblance to my friend M. de la Mole, who is an accomplished cavalier, while it only requires a nearer view of you to perceive you are only a vulgarian!' He drew his sword-I did the same; and at the third pass, my angry gallant fell senseless at my feet, sprinkling me with his blood in falling."

“And did you not afford him any succour?"

"Just as I was about to do so, another cavalier, but mounted on horseback, came by. Well, this time, duchess, I thought I was quite sure of finding la Mole, for he resembled him even more than the preceding-he was going a great pace, but that did not deter me from running after him as hard as I could; but I was obliged to stop to get a little breath, and, in the meantime, the horseman disappeared; and, tired and dispirited with having had so unsuccessful a chase, I determined to come here!"

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Upon my word," said the duchess, "your conduct is most flattering! It is quite easy to perceive you no longer love me!"

"On the contrary, duchess, I idolize you; but you do not understand the thing. Is it not quite possible for me to love and cherish and dote upon you, and yet employ my spare time in eulogizing my friend ?"

"You call the moments passed with me spare time!"

"I can't help it; that poor de la Mole is for ever in my thoughts!"

I know you do! Hanni

"And you prefer him to me! I see, bal, I hate and detest you there!-now I've said it. Why not deal candidly with me, and tell me you prefer this friend to me-only one thing I warn you that if you dare to prefer any creature in the world to me, I'll-I'll

"Henriette, most lovely duchess! let me advise you, for the sake of your own tranquillity, not to ask unwise questions-be satisfied that I love you, best of women ; but you must also permit me the privilege of loving la Mole above all other men."

"Well answered!" said a strange voice, suddenly, and a large damask curtain being raised, discovered a panel, which sliding back into the wall and forming a mode of communication between the two apartments, discovered la Mole standing in the doorway, like one of Titian's splendid paintings set in a gilded frame.

"La Mole!" exclaimed Coconnas, without taking the slightest notice of Marguerite, or in any way thanking her for the delightful surprise she had arranged for him-"la Mole! my friend! my dear, dear, friend!"

So saying, he threw himself into his friend's arms, knocking over the table that stood in his way, as well as the arm-chair he had been sitting in.

La Mole returned his greetings with equal warmth; then, addressing the duchess de Nevers : "You must pardon me, madame, if the mention of my name has been allowed to disturb your happiness; all I can say," continued he, regarding Marguerite with ineffable tenderness," is, that it has not been my fault that we have not seen each other before this." "You see, Henriette," said Marguerite, taking up the conversation, "I have kept my word; here he is!"

Meanwhile, Coconnas, after having embraced his friend, and walked round and round him a dozen times; after even holding a candelabra to his face, the better to gaze on his beloved features, suddenly turned towards Marguerite, and kneeling down reverentially, kissed the hem of her robe.

"Well, well!" said the duchess de Nevers, "you seem to forget that I am present; I suppose I have grown quite unendurable in your eyes.”

"Mordi!" replied Coconnas, "you are, as you ever have been, the goddess of my idolatry: the only difference being,

that I can now tell you so with a lighter heart; and were a host of savage nations standing by, I would insist and maintain that all their hyperborean and barbarous countries together could produce nothing so perfect, so lovely, as you, my queen of beauty."

"Gently, gently, Coconnas," interposed la Mole; "do you forget that madame Marguerite is here?"

"That makes no difference," answered Coconnas, with that half-serious, half-comic air and manner so peculiarly his own; "I will still assert that madame Henriette is the queen of beauty, while madame Marguerite is a beauty of a queen!"

"Come, then, my beautiful queen!" said madame de Nevers, perceiving that Coconnas had neither eyes nor ears for any one but la Mole, "let us leave these tender friends to have an hour's chat together. M. Coconnas will perhaps be a little more rational after that.

Marguerite whispered a few words to la Mole, and then, with madame de Nevers, passed through the open panel to the next room, where supper was awaiting them.

The two young men were then left alone.

The first questions asked by Coconnas were touching that fatal evening, which had well nigh cost him his life. In proportion as la Mole proceeded in his narration, the Piedmontese shook with intense emotion.

"And why?" inquired he, "instead of running about half wild as you have done, and causing me the uneasiness you have done, did you not seek refuge with our master the duke, who would have received and protected you?"

"Do you mean the duke d'Alençon?" whispered la Mole, "when you say our master? 'Tis to the king of Navarre I owe life.'

my

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Excellent, noble king! but what part did the duke d'Alen çon play in the affair?”

"Oh, he held the cord with which I was to be strangled." "Mordi!" exclaimed Coconnas, springing up with violent energy-"are you sure of that? What! a pale-faced, sicklylooking prince, a currish mongrel, dare to lay his hands on my friend! Strangle him, indeed! ha ha! Mordi! by tomorrow he shall hear my opinion on the subject."

"Are you mad, Coconnas? For Heaven's sake, calm yourself, and endeavour to recollect that it is half-past eleven

o'clock, and that you are in waiting to-night at the Louvre."

"What care I for that? Good! he may wait long ere he has my attendance. What, do you suppose I will ever again serve a man who has held a cord to murder my friend with? You are jesting! No no, the hand of Providence has reunited us, and from you I go no more. If you stay here, I remain also."

"For the love of Heaven, Coconnas, mind what you are about. You are sober, I trust?"

"Luckily I am, or I should most certainly set the Louvre on fire."

"Come, come, Hannibal," persisted la Mole, "act like a reasonable being; return to your duties, or inform the duke that you quit his service."

"To be sure, to be sure; that is quite the right thing, and I will do it. I'll write him a few lines directly."

Write, Coconnas! you make light work of writing to a prince of the blood.”

"Ah, but whose blood-that of my friend? Have a care!" exclaimed Coconnas, rolling his large fierce-looking eyes"I may yet be tempted to break through etiquette beyond the mere sending of a written notice to quit his service."

So saying, Coconnas took the pen without further opposition from his friend, and hastily composed the following specimen of epistolary eloquence:

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"My lord,-There can be no doubt but that a person versed as is your highness in the writings of all authors of classical antiquity, must be perfectly well acquainted with the touching story of Orestes and Pylades, two heroes celebrated alike for their misfortunes and deep friendship. My friend la Mole is equally unfortunate as was Orestes, while I can boast of the same devoted attachment as that which possessed Pylades. Affairs of the utmost importance to him demand my aid and assistance at this particular moment, and render it quite impossible for me to quit him. I am therefore compelled (craving your highness's pardon for the same) to take a holiday, for the purpose of remaining with the dear friend I mean to part from no more, but to follow his fortune whithersoever it may lead me.

"I beg your highness to believe the deep sorrow it causes

me to withdraw myself from your service, as also the deep respect with which I subscribe myself, my lord,

"Your highness's

"Most humble and obedient servant,

"HANNIBAL COMTE DE COCONNAS,

"And the inseparable friend of M. de la Mole."

This chef-d'œuvre terminated, Coconnas read it aloud to la Mole, who merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, what do you think of it?" inquired Coconnas, who either had not seen his friend's gesture, or feigned not to have done so.

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Why, I say that M. d'Alençon will laugh at us both, as a pair of simpletons."

"Better do that than strangle us. Now, then, I will speak to our host to get my letter despatched to the Louvre.

At this moment the panel was slid back.

"Well," inquired both princesses in the same breath-" and how are Pylades and Orestes, by this time?"

"Mordi! madame!" replied Coconnas, "they are both dying with love and hunger."

It was maître la Hurière himself, who, at nine o'clock the following morning, carried to the Louvre the respectful missive of Comte Hannibal de Coconnas.

CHAPTER XLV.

ORTHON

HENRY OF NAVARRE, after the refusal of the duke d'Alençon, which left everything undecided and in peril, even his very existence, had become, if possible, more intimate with the prince than he had been before: from which circumstance, Catherine concluded that not only did the two princes understand each other perfectly well, but also that they were engaged in some mutual plot or conspiracy.

She questioned Marguerite on the subject, but Marguerite was worthy of her mother; and so skilfully did the queen of