others by envy. She had nothing to compensate her for
her sufferings, not a kind word from her companions, nor a look of
affection from the king. No one could possibly express the misery the
poor girl was suffering. The queen-mother next directed the small table
to be brought forward, on which the lottery-tickets were placed, two
hundred in number, and begged Madame de Motteville to read the list of
the names. It was a matter of course that this list had been drawn out
in strict accordance with the laws of etiquette; the king's name was
first on the list, next the queen-mother, then the queen, Monsieur,
Madame, and so on. All hearts throbbed anxiously as the list was read
out; more than three hundred persons had been invited, and each of them
was anxious to learn whether his or her name was likely to be found
among the number of privileged names. The king listened with as much
attention as the others, and when the last name had been pronounced, he
noticed that La Valliere had been omitted from the list. Every one, of
course, could remark this omission. The king flushed as if he had been
much annoyed; but La Valliere, gentle and resigned, as usual, exhibited
nothing of the sort. While the list was being read, the king had not
taken his eyes off the young girl, who seemed to expand, as it were,
beneath the happy influence she felt was shed around her, and who was
delighted and too pure in spirit for any other thought than that of love
to find an entrance either in her mind or her heart. Acknowledging this
touching self-denial by the fixedness of his attention, the king showed
La Valliere how much he appreciated its delicacy. When the list was
finished, the different faces of those who had been omitted or forgotten
fully expressed their disappointment. Malicorne also was forgotten
among the number of men; and the grimace he made plainly said to
Montalais, who was also forgotten, "Cannot we contrive to arrange
matters with fortune in such a manner that she shall not forget us?" to
which a smile full of intelligence from Mademoiselle Aure, replied,
"Certainly we can."

The tickets were distributed to each person according to the number
held. The king received his first, next the queen-mother, then Monsieur,
then the queen and Madame, and so on. After this, Anne of Austria opened
a small Spanish leather bag, containing two hundred numbers engraved
upon small balls of mother-of-pearl, and presented the open sack to the
younge