e not stirred from this place, who have witnessed with your
own eye that which rumor informed me of at Calais! Do you now tell me
seriously that you do not know what it is about? Oh! comte, this is
hardly charitable of you."

"As you like, De Wardes; but I again repeat, I know nothing."

"You are very discreet--well!--perhaps it is very prudent of you."

"And so you will not tell me anything, will not tell me any more than
you told Bragelonne?"

"You are pretending to be deaf, I see. I am convinced that Madame could
not possibly have more command over herself than you have over
yourself."

"Double hypocrite," murmured Guiche to himself, "you are again
returning to the old subject."

"Very well, then," continued De Wardes, "since we find it so difficult
to understand each other about La Valliere and Bragelonne, let us speak
about your own affairs."

"Nay," said Guiche, "I have no affairs of my own to talk about. You have
not said anything about me, I suppose, to Bragelonne, which you cannot
repeat to myself."

"No; but understand me, Guiche, that however much I may be ignorant of
certain matters, I am quite as conversant with others. If, for instance,
we were conversing about certain intimacies of the Duke of Buckingham at
Paris, as I did during my journey with the duke, I could tell you a
great many interesting circumstances. Would you like me to mention
them?"

Guiche passed his hand across his forehead, which was covered with
perspiration. "No, no," he said, "a hundred times no! I have no
curiosity for matters which do not concern me. The Duke of Buckingham is
for me nothing more than a simple acquaintance, while Raoul is an
intimate friend. I have not the slightest curiosity to learn what
happened to the duke, while I have, on the contrary, the greatest
interest in learning what happened to Raoul."

"At Paris?"

"Yes, at Paris, or at Boulogne. You understand, I am on the spot: if
anything should happen, I am here to meet it; while Raoul is absent, and
has only myself to represent him; so, Raoul's affairs before my own."

"But Raoul will return."

"Not, however, until his mission is completed. In the meantime, you
understand, evil reports cannot be permitted to circulate about him
without my looking into them."

"And for a greater reason still, that he will remain some time in
London," said De Wardes, chuckling.

"You think so," said Guiche, simply.

"Think so, indeed! do you suppose that he was