honor to
Queen Marguerite of Navarre.

"The style is a novelty in form," said Amyot. "Do you accept such
barbarisms?" he added, addressing Brantome.

"They please the ladies, you know," said Brantome, crossing over to the
Duchesse de Guise, who held the "Decamerone" in her hand. "Some of the
women of your house must appear in the book, madame," he said. "It is
a pity that the Sieur Boccaccio did not live in our day; he would have
known plenty of ladies to swell his volume--"

"How shrewd that Monsieur de Brantome is," said the beautiful
Mademoiselle de Limueil to the Comtesse de Fiesque; "he came to us
first, but he means to remain in the Guise quarters."

"Hush!" said Madame de Fiesque glancing at the beautiful Limueil.
"Attend to what concerns yourself."

The young girl turned her eyes to the door. She was expecting Sardini,
a noble Italian, with whom the queen-mother, her relative, married her
after an "accident" which happened in the dressing-room of Catherine de'
Medici herself; but which the young lady won the honor of having a queen
as midwife.

"By the holy Alipantin! Mademoiselle Davila seems to me prettier and
prettier every morning," said Monsieur de Robertet, secretary of State,
bowing to the ladies of the queen-mother.

The arrival of the secretary of State made no commotion whatever, though
his office was precisely what that of a minister is in these days.

"If you really think so, monsieur," said the beauty, "lend me the squib
which was written against the Messieurs de Guise; I know it was lent to
you."

"It is no longer in my possession," replied the secretary, turning round
to bow to the Duchesse de Guise.

"I have it," said the Comte de Grammont to Mademoiselle Davila, "but I
will give it you on one condition only."

"Condition! fie!" exclaimed Madame de Fiesque.

"You don't know what it is," replied Grammont.

"Oh! it is easy to guess," remarked la Limueil.

The Italian custom of calling ladies, as peasants call their wives,
"_la_ Such-a-one" was then the fashion at the court of France.

"You are mistaken," said the count, hastily, "the matter is simply to
give a letter from my cousin de Jarnac to one of the maids on the other
side, Mademoiselle de Matha."

"You must not compromise my young ladies," said the Comtesse de Fiesque.
"I will deliver the letter myself.--Do you know what is happening in
Flanders?" she continued, turning to the Cardinal de Tournon. "It seems
that Monsieu