he past."

Hardly had these words escaped her lips, than the queen rose up proudly.
"Speak," she cried, in a short, imperious tone of voice, "explain
yourself briefly, quickly, entirely; or, if not--"

"Nay, do not threaten me, your majesty," said the Beguine, gently; "I
came to you full of compassion and respect. I came here on the part of a
friend."

"Prove that to me! Comfort instead of irritating me."

"Easily enough: and your majesty will see who is friendly to you. What
misfortune has happened to your majesty during these three and twenty
years past--"

"Serious misfortunes, indeed; have I not lost the king?"

"I speak not of misfortunes of that kind. I wish to ask you, if since
the birth of the king, any indiscretion on a friend's part has caused
your majesty the slightest serious anxiety or distress?"

"I do not understand you," replied the queen, setting her teeth hard
together in order to conceal her emotion.

"I will make myself understood, then. Your majesty remembers that the
king was born on the 5th of September, 1633, at a quarter-past eleven
o'clock."

"Yes," stammered out the queen.

"At half-past twelve," continued the Beguine, "the dauphin, who had been
baptized by Monseigneur de Meaux in the king's and in your own presence,
was acknowledged as the heir of the crown of France. The king then went
to the chapel of the old Chateau de Saint-Germain to hear the _Te Deum_
chanted."

"Quite true, quite true," murmured the queen.

"Your majesty's confinement took place in the presence of Monsieur, his
majesty's late uncle, of the princes, and of the ladies attached to the
court. The king's physician, Bovard, and Honore, the surgeon, were
stationed in the antechamber; your majesty slept from three o'clock
until seven, I believe!"

"Yes, yes: but you tell me no more than every one else knows as well as
you and myself."

"I am now, madame, approaching that which very few persons are
acquainted with. Very few persons, did I say, alas! I might almost say
two only, for formerly there were but five in all, and for many years
past the secret has been well preserved by the deaths of the principal
participators in it. The late king sleeps now with his ancestors;
Peronne, the midwife, soon followed him; Laporte is already forgotten."

The queen opened her lips as though about to reply; she felt, beneath
her icy hand, with which she kept her face half concealed, the beads of
perspiration upon her brow