k-colored rings, and she bit her thin
lips in silent fury.

Marguerite allowed her mother for a moment to contemplate this picture,
which affected her like the head of Medusa. Then she dropped the curtain
and stepping on her tip-toes she came back to Catharine and sat down:

"You were saying, madame?"--

The Florentine for several seconds tried to fathom the young woman's
naivete; but as if her keen glance had become blunted on Marguerite's
calmness, she exclaimed, "Nothing," and hastily left the room.

As soon as the sound of her departing footsteps had died away down the
long corridor, the bed-curtains opened a second time, and Henry, with
sparkling eyes, trembling hand, and panting breath, came out and knelt
at Marguerite's feet; he was dressed only in his short-clothes and his
coat of mail, so that Marguerite, seeing him in such an odd rig, could
not help laughing even while she was warmly shaking hands with him.

"Ah, madame! ah, Marguerite!" he cried, "how shall I ever repay you?"

And he covered her hand with kisses which gradually strayed higher up
along her arm.

"Sire," said she, gently retreating, "can you forget that a poor woman
to whom you owe your life is mourning and suffering on your account?
Madame de Sauve," added she, in a lower tone, "has forgotten her
jealousy in sending you to me; and to that sacrifice she may probably
have to add her life, for you know better than any one how terrible is
my mother's anger!"

Henry shuddered; and, rising, started to leave the room.

"Upon second thoughts," said Marguerite, with admirable coquetry, "I
have thought it all over and I see no cause for alarm. The key was given
to you without any directions, and it will be supposed that you granted
me the preference for to-night."

"And so I do, Marguerite! Consent but to forget"--

"Not so loud, sire, not so loud!" replied the queen, employing the same
words she had a few minutes before used to her mother; "any one in the
adjoining closet can hear you. And as I am not yet quite free, I will
ask you to speak in a lower tone."

"Oho!" said Henry, half smiling, half gloomily, "that's true! I was
forgetting that I am probably not the one destined to play the end of
this interesting scene! This closet"--

"Let me beg of your majesty to enter there," said Marguerite; "for I am
desirous of having the honor of presenting to you a worthy gentleman,
wounded during the massacre while making his way to the Louvre to