ouchage grew sad?--"

"Sad as death, sire. It seems he has met with some woman of an
extraordinary disposition. However, one sometimes succeeds as well with
this sort of women as with others, if you only set the right way to
work."

"You would not have been embarrassed, libertine!"

"You understand, sire, that no sooner had he made me his confidant, than
I undertook to save him."

"So that--"

"So that already the cure commences."

"What, is he less in love?"

"No; but he has more hope of making her so. For the future, instead of
sighing with the lady, we mean to amuse her in every possible way.
To-night I stationed thirty Italian musicians under her balcony."

"Ah! ma foi! music would not have amused me when I was in love with
Madame de Conde."

"No; but you were in love, sire; and she is as cold as an icicle."

"And you think music will melt her?"

"Diable! I do not say that she will come at once and throw herself into
the arms of Du Bouchage, but she will be pleased at all this being done
for herself alone. If she do not care for this, we shall have plays,
enchantments, poetry--in fact, all the pleasures of the earth, so that,
even if we do not bring gayety back to her, I hope we shall to Du
Bouchage."

"Well, I hope so; but since it would be so trying to him to leave Paris,
I hope you are not also, like him, the slave of some passion?"

"I never was more free, sire."

"Oh! I thought you were in love with a beautiful lady?"

"Yes, sire, so I was; but imagine that this evening, after having given
my lesson to Du Bouchage, I went to see her, with my head full of his
love story, and, believing myself almost as much in love as he, I found
a trembling frightened woman, and thinking I had disturbed her somehow,
I tried to reassure her, but it was useless. I interrogated her, but she
did not reply. I tried to embrace her, and she turned her head away. I
grew angry, and we quarreled: and she told me she should never be at
home to me any more."'

"Poor Joyeuse; what did you do?"

"Pardieu, sire! I took my hat and cloak, bowed, and went out, without
once looking back."

"Bravo, Joyeuse; it was courageous."

"The more so, sire, that I thought I heard her sigh."

"But you will return?"

"No, I am proud."

"Well, my friend, this rupture is for your good."

"Perhaps so, sire; but I shall probably be horribly ennuye for a week,
having nothing to do. It may perhaps amuse me, however, as it is
somethin