Raoul made one step towards the girl who thus called him.

"But my horse, madame?" said he.

"Oh! you are terribly embarrassed! Go yonder way - there isa shed in the outer court: fasten your horse, and returnquickly!"

"I obey, madame."

Raoul was not four minutes in performing what he had beendirected to do; he returned to the little door, where, inthe gloom, he found his mysterious conductress waiting forhim, on the first steps of a winding staircase.

"Are you brave enough to follow me, monsieur knight errant?"asked the girl, laughing at the momentary hesitation Raoulhad manifested.

The latter replied by springing up the dark staircase afterher. They thus climbed up three stories, he behind her,touching with his hands, when he felt for the banister, asilk dress which rubbed against each side of the staircase.At every false step made by Raoul, his conductress cried,"Hush!" and held out to him a soft and perfumed hand.

"One would mount thus to the belfry of the castle withoutbeing conscious of fatigue," said Raoul.

"All of which means, monsieur, that you are very muchperplexed, very tired, and very uneasy. But be of goodcheer, monsieur; here we are, at our destination."

The girl threw open a door, which immediately, without anytransition, filled with a flood of light the landing of thestaircase, at the top of which Raoul appeared, holding fastby the balustrade.

The girl continued to walk on - he followed her; sheentered a chamber - he did the same.

As soon as he was fairly in the net he heard a loud cry,and, turning round, saw at two paces from him, with herhands clasped and her eyes closed, that beautiful fair girlwith blue eyes and white shoulders, who, recognizing him,called him Raoul.

He saw her, and divined at once so much love and so much joyin the expression of her countenance, that he sank on hisknees in the middle of the chamber, murmuring, on his part,the name of Louise.

"Ah! Montalais - Montalais!" she sighed, "it is very wickedto deceive me so."

"Who, I? I have deceived you?"

"Yes; you told me you would go down to inquire the news, andyou have brought up monsieur!"

"Well, I was obliged to do so - how else could he havereceived the letter you wrote him?" And she pointed with herfinger to the letter which was still upon the table.

Raoul made a step to take it; Louise, more rapid, althoughshe had sprung forward with a sufficiently remarkablephysical hesitation, reached out her hand to stop him. Raoulcame in contact with that trembling hand, took it within hisown, and carried it so respectfully to his lips, that hemight be said to have deposited a sigh upon it rather than akiss.

In the meantime Mademoiselle de Montalais had taken theletter, folded it carefully, as women do, in three folds,and slipped it into her bosom.

"Don't be afraid, Louise," said she; "monsieur will no moreventure to take it hence than the defunct king Louis XIII.ventured to take billets from the corsage of Mademoiselle deHautefort."

Raoul blushed at seeing the smile of the two girls; and hedid not remark that the hand of Louise remained in his.

"There " said Montalais, "you have pardoned me, Louise, forhaving brought monsieur to you; and you, monsieur, bear meno malice for having followed me to see mademoiselle. Now,then, peace being made, let us chat like old friends.Present me, Louise, to M. de Bragelonne."

"Monsieur le Vicomte," said Louise, with her quiet grace andingenuous smile, "I have the honour to present to youMademoiselle Aure de Montalais, maid of honor to her royalhighness Madame, and moreover my friend - my excellentfriend."

Raoul bowed ceremoniously.

"And me, Louise," said he - "will you not present me alsoto mademoiselle?"

"Oh, she knows you - she knows all!"

This unguarded expression made Montalais laugh and Raoulsigh with happiness, for he interpreted it thus: "She knowsall our love."

"The ceremonies being over, Monsieur le Vicomte," saidMontalais, "take a chair, and tell us quickly the news youbring flying thus."

"Mademoiselle, it is no longer a secret; the king, on hisway to Poitiers, will stop at Blois, to visit his royalhighness."

"The king here!" exclaimed Montalais, clapping her hands."What! are we going to see the court? Only think, Louise - the real court from Paris! Oh, good heavens! But when willthis happen, monsieur?"

"Perhaps this evening, mademoiselle; at latest, tomorrow."

Montalais lifted her shoulders in sign of vexation.

"No time to get ready! No time to prepare a single dress! Weare as far behind the fashions as the Poles. We shall looklike portraits of the time of Henry IV. Ah, monsieur! thisis sad news you bring us!"

"But, mesdemoiselles, you will be still beautiful!"

"That's no news! Yes, we shall be always beautiful becausenature has made us passable; but we shall be ridiculous,because the fashion will have forgotten us. Alas!ridiculous! I shall be thought ridiculous - I!

"And by whom?" said Louise, innocently.

"By whom? You are a strange girl, my dear. Is that aquestion to put to me? I mean everybody; I mean thecourtiers, the nobles; I mean the king."

"Pardon me, my good friend, but as here every one isaccustomed to see us as we are - - "

"Granted; but that is about to change, and we shall beridiculous, even for Blois; for close to us will be seen thefashions from Paris, and they will perceive that we are inthe fashion of Blois! It is enough to make one despair!"

"Console yourself, mademoiselle."

"Well, so let it be! After all, so much the worse for thosewho do not find me to their taste!" said Montalaisphilosophically.

"They would be very difficult to please," replied Raoul,faithful to his regular system of gallantry.

"Thank you, Monsieur le Vicomte. We were saying, then, thatthe king is coming to Blois?"

"With all the court."

"Mesdemoiselles de Mancini, will they be with them?"

"No, certainly not."

"But as the king, it is said, cannot do without MademoiselleMary?"

"Mademoiselle, the king must do without her. M. le Cardinalwill have it so. He has exiled his nieces to Brouage."

"He! - the hypocrite!"

"Hush!" said Louise, pressing a finger on her friend's rosylips.

"Bah! nobody can hear me. I say that old Mazarino Mazariniis a hypocrite, who burns impatiently to make his nieceQueen of France."

"That cannot be, mademoiselle, since M. le Cardinal, on thecontrary, has brought about the marriage of his majesty withthe Infanta Maria Theresa."

Montalais looked Raoul full in the face, and said, "And doyou Parisians believe in these tales? Well! we are a littlemore knowing than you, at Blois."

"Mademoiselle, if the king goes beyond Poitiers and sets outfor Spain, if the articles of the marriage contract areagreed upon by Don Luis de Haro and his eminence, you mustplainly perceive that it is not child's play."

"All very fine! but the king is king, I suppose?"

"No doubt, mademoiselle; but the cardinal is the cardinal."

"The king is not a man, then! And he does not love MaryMancini?"

"He adores her."

"Well, he will marry her then. We shall have war with Spain.M. Mazarin will spend a few of the millions he has put away;our gentlemen will perform prodigies of valor in theirencounters with the proud Castilians, and many of them willreturn crowned with laurels, to be recrowned by us withmyrtles. Now, that is my view of politics."

"Montalais, you are wild!" said Louise, "and everyexaggeration attracts you as light does a moth."

"Louise, you are so extremely reasonable, that you willnever know how to love."

"Oh!" said Louise, in a tone of tender reproach, "don't yousee, Montalais? The queen-mother desires to marry her son tothe Infanta; would you wish him to disobey his mother? Is itfor a royal heart like his to set such a bad example? Whenparents forbid love, love must be banished."

And Louise sighed: Raoul cast down his eyes, with anexpression of constraint. Montalais, on her part, laughedaloud.

"Well, I have no parents!" said she.

"You are acquainted, without doubt, with the state of healthof M. le Comte de la Fere?" said Louise, after breathingthat sigh which had revealed so many griefs in its eloquentutterance.

"No, mademoiselle," replied Raoul, "I have not yet paid myrespects to my father; I was going to his house whenMademoiselle de Montalais so kindly stopped me. I hope thecomte is well. You have heard nothing to the contrary, haveyou?"

"No, M. Raoul - nothing, thank God!"

Here, for several instants, ensued a silence, during whichtwo spirits, which followed the same idea, communicatedperfectly, without even the assistance of a single glance.

"Oh, heavens!" exclaimed Montalais in a fright; "there issomebody coming up."

"Who can it be?" said Louise, rising in great agitation.

"Mesdemoiselles, I inconvenience you very much. I have,without doubt, been very indiscreet," stammered Raoul, veryill at ease.

"It is a heavy step," said Louise.

"Ah! if it is only M. Malicorne," added Montalais, "do notdisturb yourselves."

Louise and Raoul looked at each other to inquire who M.Malicorne could be.

"There is no occasion to mind him," continued Montalais; "heis not jealous."

"But, mademoiselle - -" said Raoul.

"Yes, I understand. Well, he is as discreet as I am."

"Good heavens!" cried Louise, who had applied her ear to thedoor, which had been left ajar, "it is my mother's step!"

"Madame de Saint-Remy! Where shall I hide myself?" exclaimedRaoul, catching at the dress of Montalais, who looked quitebewildered.

"Yes," said she; "yes, I know the clicking of those pattens!It is our excellent mother. M. le Vicomte, what a pity it isthe window looks upon a stone pavement, and that fifty pacesbelow it."

Raoul glanced at the balcony in despair. Louise seized hisarm and held it tight.

"Oh, how silly I am!" said Montalais, "have I not therobe-of-ceremony closet? It looks as if it were made onpurpose."

It was quite time to act; Madame de Saint-Remy was coming upat a quicker pace than usual. She gained the landing at themoment when Montalais, as in all scenes of surprises, shutthe closet by leaning with her back against the door.

"Ah!" cried Madame de Saint-Remy, "you are here, are you,Louise?"

"Yes, madame," replied she, more pale than if she hadcommitted a great crime.

"Well, well!"

"Pray be seated, madame," said Montalais, offering her achair, which she placed so that the back was towards thecloset.

"Thank you, Mademoiselle Aure - thank you. Come my child,be quick."

"Where do you wish me to go, madame?"

"Why, home, to be sure; have you not to prepare yourtoilette?"

"What did you say?" cried Montalais, hastening to affectsurprise, so fearful was she that Louise would in some waycommit herself.

"You don't know the news, then?" said Madame de Saint-Remy.

"What news, madame, is it possible for two girls to learn upin this dove-cote?"

"What! have you seen nobody?"

"Madame, you talk in enigmas, and you torment us at a slowfire!" cried Montalais, who, terrified at seeing Louisebecome paler and paler, did not know to what saint to put upher vows.

At length she caught an eloquent look of her companion's,one of those looks which would convey intelligence to abrick wall. Louise directed her attention to a hat - Raoul's unlucky hat, which was set out in all its featherysplendor upon the table.

Montalais sprang towards it, and, seizing it with her lefthand, passed it behind her into the right, concealing it asshe was speaking.

"Well," said Madame de Saint-Remy, "a courier has arrived,announcing the approach of the king. There, mesdemoiselles;there is something to make you put on your best looks."

"Quick, quick!" cried Montalais. "Follow Madame your mother,Louise; and leave me to get ready my dress of ceremony."

Louise arose; her mother took her by the hand, and led herout on to the landing.

"Come along," said she; then adding in a low voice, "When Iforbid you to come to the apartment of Montalais, why do youdo so?"

"Madame, she is my friend. Besides, I had but just come."

"Did you see nobody concealed while you were there?"

"Madame!"

"I saw a man's hat, I tell you - the hat of that fellow,that good-for-nothing!"

"Madame!" repeated Louise.

"Of that do-nothing De Malicorne! A maid of honor to havesuch company - fie! fie!" and their voices were lost in thedepths of the narrow staircase.

Montalais had not missed a word of this conversation, whichecho conveyed to her as if through a tunnel. She shruggedher shoulders on seeing Raoul, who had listened likewise,issue from the closet.

"Poor Montalais!" said she, "the victim of friendship! PoorMalicorne, the victim of love!"

She stopped on viewing the tragic-comic face of Raoul, whowas vexed at having, in one day, surprised so many secrets.

"Oh, mademoiselle!" said he; "how can we repay yourkindness?"

"Oh, we will balance accounts some day," said she. "For thepresent, begone, M. de Bragelonne, for Madame de Saint-Remyis not over indulgent; and any indiscretion on her partmight bring hither a domiciliary visit, which would bedisagreeable to all parties."

"But Louise - how shall I know - - "

"Begone! begone! King Louis XI. knew very well what he wasabout when he invented the post."

"Alas!" sighed Raoul.

"And am I not here - I, who am worth all the posts in thekingdom? Quick, I say, to horse! so that if Madame deSaint-Remy should return for the purpose of preaching me alesson on morality, she may not find you here."

"She would tell my father, would she not?" murmured Raoul.

"And you would be scolded. Ah, vicomte, it is very plain youcome from court; you are as timid as the king. Peste! atBlois we contrive better than that to do without papa'sconsent. Ask Malicorne else!"

And at these words the girl pushed Raoul out of the room bythe shoulders. He glided swiftly down to the porch, regainedhis horse, mounted, and set off as if he had had Monsieur'sguards at his heels.