and Hubert says it is good to
laugh once a day."

"Apropos of Madame de Maintenon," replied Dubois; "you know,
monseigneur, that she is very ill, and that she cannot live a
fortnight."

"Bah!"

"Since the imprisonment of Madame de Maine and the exile of her husband,
she says that decidedly Louis XIV. is dead, and that she goes weeping to
rejoin him."

"Which does not trouble you, eh?"

"Oh! I confess that I hate her cordially; it was she who made the king
open his eyes so wide when I asked for the red hat at your marriage;
and, corbleu! it was not an easy thing to arrange, monseigneur, as you
know. If you had not been there to redress my wrongs, she would have
spoiled my career. If I could but have crammed her M. de Maine into this
Bretagne affair; but it was impossible--the poor man is half dead with
fear, so that he says to every one he meets, 'Do you know there has been
a conspiracy against the government of the king and against the person
of the regent? it is a disgrace to France. Ah! if all men were only like
me!'"

"No one would conspire--that is certain," said the regent.

"He has disowned his wife," added Dubois, laughing.

"And she has disowned her husband," said the regent, laughing also.

"I should not advise you to imprison them together--they would fight."

"Therefore I have placed one at Doulens, and the other at Dijon."

"From whence they bite by post."

"Let us put all that aside, Dubois."

"Ah, monseigneur! you have, I see, sworn the loss of the blood of Louis
XIV.; you are a true executioner."

This audacious joke proved how sure Dubois felt of his ascendency over
the prince.

The regent signed the order naming the tribunal, and Dubois went out to
prepare for Gaston's arrest.

Gaston, on his return to the Muids d'Amour, found the same carriage and
the same guide awaiting him that had before conducted him to the Rue du
Bac. Gaston, who did not wish Helene to alight, asked if he could
continue his route in the hired carriage in which he had just arrived;
the man replied that he saw no objection, and mounted on the box by the
driver, to whom he told the address.

During the drive, Gaston, instead of displaying the courage which Helene
had expected, was sad, and yet gave no explanation of his sadness. As
they entered the Rue du Bac, Helene, in despair at finding so little
force of character in him on whom she leaned for protection, said:
"Gaston, you frighten me."

"Helene, you sha