But the voice of the young man was lost in the distance, and he neither heard nor replied.

Coconnas had soon made up his mind, whilst la Mole remained motionless, following de Mouy with his eyes, as he disappeared amongst the branches. He hastened to the horses, and leaping on his own, threw the bridle of the other to la Mole, and prepared to dash off.

"Come, come!" he exclaimed—“ let us be off, as de Mouy advises, and de Mouy is a sensible man. Away, away, la Mole!"

"One moment," said la Mole; "we came here for something."

"Unless it is to get hanged,” replied Coconnas, “I would advise you to lose no more time. I would only observe, that when M. de Mouy de Saint-Phale flies, all the world may flee too."

"M. de Mouy de Saint-Phale," said la Mole, “is not charged to carry off the queen Marguerite! M. de Mouy de Saint-Phale does not love the queen Marguerite!"

"Mordi! and he is quite right too! Corne de bœuf!' as king Charles says, we are conspiring, my dear fellow; and when men conspire, they should make off at the right time. Mount, mount, la Mole!”

“Well, well, let us then to horse and away!” "That's right."

La Mole turned round to lay his hand on the pommel of his saddle; but at the moment when he put foot in the stirrup, a voice of command was heard, saying

"Halt there-surrender!"

And, at the same moment, the figure of a man was seen behind an oak-then another-then thirty: they were the light dragoons dismounted, who were making their way quietly, and searching the forest.

"What did I tell you?" muttered Coconnas.

The light dragoons were within thirty paces of the two friends.

"Well, gentlemen," said the Piedmontese, "what is your pleasure?"

The lieutenant desired his men to take aim at the two friends.

Gentlemen," said Coconnas, drawing his sword, and

raising it in the air, "we surrender; but allow me to inquire wherefore we are called on to do so?"

"That you must ask of the king of Navarre."
"What crime have we committed?"

"M. d'Alençon will inform you."

Coconnas and la Mole looked at each other.

The name

of their enemy at such a moment had very little to give them confidence.

Yet they neither of them made any resistance. Coconnas was desired to alight from his horse, a manœuvre which he executed without a word; then they were both placed in the centre of the light dragoons, and took the route to the Pavilion of François I.

"You wished to see the Pavilion of François," said Coconnas to la Mole, when they saw through the trees the walls of a pretty gothic building-"well, there it is."

La Mole made no reply, but only extended his hand to Coconnas.

By the side of this beautiful pavilion, built in the time of Louis XII., and which was called after François, because he always made it a rendezvous de chasse, was a hut built for the huntsmen and prickers, and which was now nearly concealed by the muskets, halberds, and swords in front of it. The prisoners were conducted to this hut.

We will now throw a little light on the gloomy position of the two friends, by stating a few details.

The protestant gentlemen had assembled, as was agreed, in the Pavilion of François I., of which we know de Mouy had the key.

Masters of the forest, as they believed, they had placed sentinels here and there, whom the light dragoons, having exchanged their white scarfs into red ones, (a precaution due to the ingenious zeal of M. de Nancey,) had laid hands upon without striking a blow.

The light dragoons continued their quest, keeping a good watch over the pavilion; but de Mouy, who, as we have seen, was awaiting the king at the end of the Allée des Violettes, had seen these red scarfs stealing along, and instantly suspected them. He hastily concealed himself, and remarked the vast circle they made in order to beat the forest and hem in the place of rendezvous. At the same moment, at the bottom of

the principal alley, he had seen the white aigrettes and bright arquebuses of the king's body-guard, and then the king himself, whilst in the opposite direction, he observed the king of Navarre.

Then he had made a sign of a cross with his hat, which was the signal agreed upon when all was lost.

At this signal, the king turned back, and rapidly dis appeared.

Then de Mouy, digging the two large rowels of his spurs into the sides of his horse, fled like the wind, and as he fled, gave those words of advice to la Mole and Coconnas which we have mentioned.

But the king, perceiving the absence of Henry and Marguerite, had arrived, escorted by d'Alençon, to see them both come from the hut, where he had desired all to be shut up who were found, not only in the pavilion, but in the forest. D'Alençon, full of confidence, galloped close by the king, whose excessive pain increased his ill humour. Twice or thrice he had nearly fainted, and once had vomited blood. "Quick, quick!" he said, when he arrived. "Make haste; I want to return to the Louvre. Draw these rebels out of their lair. This is Saint Blaise's day, and he was cousin to Saint Bartholomew."

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At these words of the king, all the pikes and arquebuses were in motion, and they compelled the huguenots, arrested in the forest or the pavilion, to come out of the hut one after the other.

But the king of Navarre, Marguerite, and de Mouy were not amongst them.

"Well," said the king, "where is Henry-where is Margot? You promised them to me, d'Alençon, and, corbœuf! I must have them found."

"We have not seen the king and queen of Navarre, sire," said M. de Nancey.

"But here they come," observed madame de Nevers.

And at the same moment, at the further extremity of an alley which led down to the river, appeared Henry and Marguerite, both as calm as if nothing had happened; both with their falcons on their wrist, and lovingly side by side on their horses as they galloped along, whilst their steeds, like themselves, seemed to be caressing each other.

It was then that d'Alençon, furious, commanded the forest to be searched, and that la Mole and Coconnas were discovered.

They had reached the circle which the guards closed in; only, as they were not sovereigns, they could not assume so cool an appearance as Henry and Marguerite. La Mole was too pale, and Coconnas was too red.

CHAPTER LIL

THE EXAMINATIONS.

THE spectacle which presented itself to the friends, as they entered, was one of those that once seen is never forgotten. As we have already said, Charles had anxiously observed each prisoner, as one by one they left the piqueurs' hut, watching, with an earnestness equal to that felt by d'Alençon, to see the king of Navarre come forth.

Both were doomed to disappointment. But, though thus out in their calculation, there still remained something to be done; and that was to find the cause of those being absent. they counted upon finding there.

When, therefore, Henry and Marguerite were seen approaching from the end of an alley, a mortal paleness seized d'Alençon, while the breast of Charles seemed relieved from a load, and his heart beat with a hope that his friend Harry might yet disprove all that had been urged against him.

"He will escape again!" murmured François.

But at this moment, the king was seized with such excruciating pains, such spasmodic agony throughout his frame that, pressing a hand on each side, he shrieked aloud like a delirious man.

Henry hastened towards him, but by the time he had traversed the short space that separated them, the paroxysm had passed away.

"From whence come you?" inquired the king, with a sternness of manner that frightened Marguerite.

"Nay, brother," replied she, as though the question had been applied to herself, "we have been joining in the chase." "Had it been so, you would have pursued the river's side, instead of seeking the recesses of the forest."

"Sire," said Henry, "my falcon suddenly struck down a pheasant, at the very time we had stopped to look after the heron."

"Have you the bird?"

"Behold it, sire-as fine a bird as I have seen!" replied Henry, with the most perfect air of well-assumed innocence, as he held up his beautiful prize.

"Ah, ah!" exclaimed Charles, "but, why did you not rejoin me when you had secured the pheasant?"

"Because the bird had directed his flight towards the park, sire; so that when we returned to the river's side, we saw you more than a mile off proceeding towards the forest; therefore, having been permitted to join your majesty's chase, we did not like being thrown out, and proceeded to gallop after you as fast as we could."

"And were all these gentlemen invited also?" inquired Charles.

"What gentlemen?" replied Henry, casting a look of inquiry around him.

"Pardieu!" exclaimed Charles, "why your huguenot friends. All I can say is, that they certainly cannot boast of my invitation to join our sport."

"Probably, sire," answered Henry, "they come at the bidding of M. d'Alençon."

"I?" said the duke d'Alençon.

Why, yes, brother!" returned Henry; "did you not announce yourself yesterday as king of Navarre! What can be more natural than that the grateful people have assembled here to thank you for accepting the crown, and the king for giving it is it not so, gentlemen?"

"Yes, yes!” shouted forth a number of voices. "Long live the duke d'Alençon! long live king Charles!"

"I am not king of the huguenots!" said François, perfectly white with rage, and looking stealthily at Charles, he added; "and trust I never shall be!"

"No matter," interposed Charles; "but you must be very sure, Henry, that I look upon all this as very strange."