-Aignan, aid-de-camp in perpetuity, carried to
La Valliere at the risk of foundering his horses. During this time, deer
and pheasants were left to the free enjoyments of their nature, hunted
so lazily, that, it was said, the art of venery ran great risk of
degenerating at the court of France. D'Artagnan then thought of the
wishes of poor Raoul, of that desponding letter destined for a woman who
passed her life in hoping, and as D'Artagnan loved to philosophize a
little occasionally, he resolved to profit by the absence of the king to
have a minute's talk with Mademoiselle de la Valliere.

This was a very easy affair: while the king was hunting, Louise was
walking with some other ladies in one of the galleries of the Palais
Royal, exactly where the captain of the musketeers had some guards to
inspect. D'Artagnan did not doubt, that if he could but open the
conversation upon Raoul, Louise might give him grounds for writing a
consolatory letter to the poor exile; and hope, or at least consolation
for Raoul, in the state of heart in which he had left him, was the sun,
was life to two men who were very dear to our captain. He directed his
course, therefore, to the spot where he knew he should find Mademoiselle
de la Valliere. D'Artagnan found La Valliere the center of a circle. In
her apparent solitude, the king's favorite received, like a queen, more
perhaps than the queen, a homage of which Madame had been so proud, when
all the king's looks were directed to her, and commanded the looks of
the courtiers. D'Artagnan, although no squire of dames, received,
nevertheless, civilities and attentions from the ladies; he was polite,
as a brave man always is, and his terrible reputation had conciliated as
much friendship among the men as admiration among the women. On seeing
him enter, therefore, they immediately accosted him; and, as is not
unfrequently the case with fair ladies, opened the attack by questions.
"Where _had_ he been? What _had_ become of him so long? Why had they not
seen him as usual make his fine horse curvet in such beautiful style, to
the delight and astonishment of the curious from the king's balcony?"

He replied that he had just come from the land of oranges. This set all
the ladies laughing. Those were times in which everybody traveled, but
in which, notwithstanding, a journey of a hundred leagues was a problem
often solved by death.

"'From the land of oranges?'" exclaimed Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente.