he made his way down there, took
his hat in his hand, and with his nose in the air and his eyes closed,
he walked up and down for ten minutes, fully exposed to the devouring
flame which fell from heaven like a torrent. At the end of these ten
minutes, owing to the unexampled ardor of the sun, the gentleman's face
had acquired such a brilliant color that the red streak was now no more
in harmony with the rest than it had been, but in comparison seemed
yellow.

Nevertheless, the gentleman did not seem much dissatisfied with this
rainbow effect which he did his best to bring into accord with the rest
of his face by spreading a layer of vermilion over it, after which he
put on a magnificent suit which a tailor had brought to his room without
any commands from him. Thus attired, scented, and armed from head to
foot, he again went down into the court-yard and began to pat a large
black horse whose beauty would have been matchless but for a small cut,
like his own, made by a reiter's sabre in one of the last civil
conflicts.

Yet, enchanted with the good steed as he was with himself, the
gentleman, whom no doubt our readers have easily recognized, was on his
back a quarter of an hour before any of the others and making the
court-yard of the Hotel de Guise resound with the whinnying of the
charger accompanied by exclamations of _mordi_, pronounced in every
variety of accent according as he compelled the horse to submit to this
authority. At the end of a moment the horse completely subdued,
recognized by his obedience and subjection his master's legitimate
control, but the victory had not been obtained without noise, and this
noise, which was perhaps the very thing our gentleman reckoned upon,
this noise had attracted to the windows a lady whom our queller of
horses saluted respectfully, and who smiled at him in the most agreeable
manner.

Five minutes later Madame de Nevers summoned her steward.

"Sir," said she, "has Monsieur le Comte Annibal de Coconnas been
furnished a suitable breakfast?"

"Yes, madame," replied the steward, "he ate this morning with a better
appetite than usual."

"Very well, sir," said the duchess.

Then addressing her first gentleman in waiting:

"Monsieur d'Arguzon," she said, "let us set out for the Louvre, and keep
an eye, I beg, on Monsieur le Comte Annibal de Coconnas, for he is
wounded, and consequently still weak; and I would not for all the world
any accident should happen to him. Tha