would be to act absurdly, and he therefore
added, "There was a letter of some importance inside the handkerchief,
which had somehow got among the folds of it."

"Sire," said the valet, "your majesty had only one handkerchief, and
that is it."

"True, true," replied the king, setting his teeth hard together. "Oh,
poverty, how I envy you! Happy is the man who can empty his own pockets
of letters and handkerchiefs!"

He read La Valliere's letter over again, endeavoring to imagine in what
conceivable way his verses could have reached their destination. There
was a postscript to the letter:

"I send you back by your messenger this reply, so unworthy of what you
sent me."

"So far so good; I shall find out something now," he said delightedly.
"Who is waiting, and who brought me this letter?"

"M. Malicorne," replied the _valet de chambre_, timidly.

"Desire him to come in."

Malicorne entered.

"You come from Mademoiselle de la Valliere?" said the king, with a sigh.

"Yes, sire."

"And you took Mademoiselle de la Valliere something from me?"

"I, sire?"

"Yes, you."

"Oh, no, sire."

"Mademoiselle de la Valliere says so, distinctly."

"Oh, sire, Mademoiselle de la Valliere is mistaken."

The king frowned. "What jest is this?" he said; "explain yourself. Why
does Mademoiselle de la Valliere call you my messenger? What did you
take to that lady? Speak, monsieur, and quickly."

"Sire, I merely took Mademoiselle de la Valliere a pocket-handkerchief,
that was all."

"A handkerchief,--what handkerchief?"

"Sire, at the very moment when I had the misfortune to stumble against
your majesty yesterday--a misfortune which I shall deplore to the
last day of my life, especially after the dissatisfaction which you
exhibited--I remained, sire, motionless with despair, your majesty being
at too great a distance to hear my excuses, when I saw something white
lying on the ground."

"Ah!" said the king.

"I stooped down,--it was a pocket-handkerchief. For a moment I had an
idea that when I stumbled against your majesty I must have been the
cause of the handkerchief falling from your pocket; but as I felt it all
over very respectfully, I perceived a cipher at one of the corners,
and, on looking at it closely, I found that it was Mademoiselle de la
Valliere's cipher. I presumed that on her way to Madame's apartment in
the earlier part of the evening she had let her handkerchief fall, and
I accordingly hastened to re