."

Catherine was about to leave the room without replying to this last
taunt; but she remembered that her indifference to it might provoke
suspicion, and she answered hastily:--

"But you, my dear, understand the business of love."

Then she descended to her own apartments.

"Put away these furs, Dayelle, and let us go to the Council, monsieur,"
said Mary to the young king, enchanted with the opportunity of deciding
in the absence of the queen-mother so important a question as the
lieutenant-generalship of the kingdom.

Mary Stuart took the king's arm. Dayelle went out before them,
whispering to the pages; one of whom (it was young Teligny, who
afterwards perished so miserably during the Saint-Bartholomew) cried
out:--

"The king!"

Hearing the words, the two soldiers of the guard presented arms, and the
two pages went forward to the door of the Council-room through the lane
of courtiers and that of the maids of honor of the two queens. All the
members of the Council then grouped themselves about the door of their
chamber, which was not very far from the door to the staircase. The
grand-master, the cardinal, and the chancellor advanced to meet the
young sovereign, who smiled to several of the maids of honor and replied
to the remarks of a few courtiers more privileged than the rest. But
the queen, evidently impatient, drew Francois II. as quickly as possible
toward the Council-chamber. When the sound of arquebuses, dropping
heavily on the floor, had announced the entrance of the couple, the
pages replaced their caps upon their heads, and the private talk among
the courtiers on the gravity of the matters now about to be discussed
began again.

"They sent Chiverni to fetch the Connetable, but he has not come," said
one.

"There is not a single prince of the blood present," said another.

"The chancellor and Monsieur de Tournon looked anxious," remarked a
third.

"The grand-master sent word to the keeper of the seals to be sure not
to miss this Council; therefore you may be certain they will issue
letters-patent."

"Why does the queen-mother stay in her own apartments at such a time?"

"They'll cut out plenty of work for us," remarked Groslot to Cardinal de
Chatillon.

In short, everybody had a word to say. Some went and came, in and out of
the great hall; others hovered about the maids of honor of both queens,
as if it might be possible to catch a few words through a wall three
feet thick or through t