to do for your
majesty."

"Saint-Aignan, I am dying from impatience; I am in a perfect fever; I
shall never be able to wait until to-morrow--To-morrow! why to-morrow is
an eternity!"

"And yet, sire, I shall require you, if you please, to go out presently
and divert your impatience by a good walk."

"With you--agreed; we will talk about your projects, we will talk of
her."

"Nay, sire; I remain here."

"Whom shall I go out with, then?"

"With the queens and all the ladies of the court."

"Nothing shall induce me to do that Saint-Aignan."

"And yet, sire, you must do it."

"No, no--a thousand times, no! I will never again expose myself to the
horrible torture of being close to her, of seeing her, of touching her
dress as I pass by her, and yet not to be able to say a word to her. No,
I renounce a torture which you suppose to be happiness, but which
consumes and eats away my very life; to see her in the presence of
strangers and not to tell her that I love her, when my whole being
reveals my affection and betrays me to every one; no! I have sworn never
to do it again, and I will keep my oath."

"Yet, sire, pray listen to me for a moment."

"I will listen to nothing, Saint-Aignan."

"In that case, I will continue; it is most urgent, sire--pray understand
me, it is of the greatest importance--that Madame and her maids of honor
should be absent for two hours from the palace."

"I cannot understand your meaning at all, Saint-Aignan."

"It is hard for me to give my sovereign directions what to do; but in
this circumstance I do give you directions, sire; and either a hunting
or promenade party must be got up."

"But if I were to do what you wish, it would be a caprice, a mere whim.
In displaying such an impatient humor I show my whole court that I have
no control over my own feelings. Do not people already say that I am
dreaming of the conquest of the world, but that I ought previously to
begin by achieving a conquest over myself."

"Those who say so, sire, are insolent and factious persons; but whoever
they may be, if your majesty prefers to listen to them, I have nothing
further to say. In such a case, that which we have fixed to take place
to-morrow must be postponed indefinitely."

"Nay, Saint-Aignan, I will go out this evening--I will go by torchlight
to sleep at St. Germain; I will breakfast there to-morrow, and will
return to Paris by three o'clock. Will that do?"

"Admirably."

"In that case I