ou understand, that it was not you but
Diane whom I saw and detested; and no wonder, when she was acting such a
cruel treason!'

'Oh no, Diane would never so treat me,' cried Eustacie. 'I see how it
was! You did not know that my father was latterly called Marquis de
Nid-de-Merle, and when they brought me here, they WOULD call me after
him: they said a maid of honour must be Demoiselle, and my uncle said
there was only one way in which I could remain Madame de Ribaumont! And
the name must have deceived you. Thou wast always a great dull boy,' she
added, with a sudden assumption of childish intimacy that annihilated
the nine years since their parting.

'Had I seen thee, I had not mistaken for an instant. This little face
stirred my heart; hers repelled me. And she deceived me wittingly,
Eustacie, for I asked after her by name.'

'Ah, she wished to spare my embarrassment. And then her brother must
have dealt with her.'

'I see,' exclaimed Berenger, 'I am to be palmed off thus that thou
mayest be reserved for Narcisse. Tell me, Eustacie, wast thou willing?'

'I hate Narcisse!' she cried. 'But oh, I am lingering too long. Monsieur
will make some hateful tale! I never fell into his way before, my Queen
and Madame la Comtesse are so careful. Only to-day, as I was attending
her alone, the King came and gave her his arm, and I had to drop behind.
I must find her; I shall be missed,' she added, in sudden alarm. 'Oh,
what will they say?'

'No blame for being with thy husband,' he answered, clasping her hand.
'Thou art mine henceforth. I will soon cut our way out of the web thy
treacherous kindred have woven. Meantime---'

'Hush! There are voices,' cried Eustacie in terror, and, guided by
something he could not discern, she fled with the swiftness of a bird
down the alley. Following, with the utmost speed that might not bear
the appearance of pursuit, he found that on coming to the turn she
had moderated her pace, and was more tranquilly advancing to a bevy
of ladies, who sat perched on the stone steps like great butterflies
sunning themselves, watching the game, and receiving the attentions of
their cavaliers. He saw her absorbed into the group, and then began to
prowl round it, in the alleys, in a tumult of amazement and indignation.
He had been shamefully deceived and cheated, and justice he would have!
He had been deprived of a thing of his own, and he would assert his
right. He had been made to injure and disown the cr