madame."

"And this lover was"--

"Was King Ladislas, madame."

"Ah, yes!" murmured she; "have you any of the details of this story?"

"I have an old book which mentions it," replied Rene.

"Well, let us go into the other room, and you can show it me."

They left the cell, the door of which Rene closed after him.

"Has your majesty any other orders to give me concerning the
sacrifices?"

"No, Rene, I am for the present sufficiently convinced. We will wait
till we can secure the head of some criminal, and on the day of the
execution you must arrange with the hangman."

Rene bowed in token of obedience, then holding his candle up he let the
light fall on the shelves where his books stood, climbed on a chair,
took one down, and handed it to the queen.

Catharine opened it.

"What is this?" she asked; "'On the Method of Raising and Training
Tercels, Falcons, and Gerfalcons to be Courageous, Valiant, and always
ready for Flight.'"

"Ah! pardon me, madame, I made a mistake. That is a treatise on venery
written by a scientific man of Lucca for the famous Castruccio
Castracani. It stood next the other and was bound exactly like it. I
took down the wrong one. However, it is a very precious volume; there
are only three copies extant--one belongs to the library at Venice, the
other was bought by your grandfather Lorenzo and was offered by Pietro
de Medicis to King Charles VIII., when he visited Florence, and the
third you have in your hands."

"I venerate it," said Catharine, "because of its rarity, but as I do not
need it, I return it to you."

And she held out her right hand to Rene to receive the book which she
wished, while with her left hand she returned to him the one which she
had first taken.

This time Rene was not mistaken; it was the volume she wished. He
stepped down, turned the leaves for a moment, and gave it to her open.

Catharine went and sat down at a table. Rene placed the magic taper near
her and by the light of its bluish flame she read a few lines in an
undertone:

"Good!" said she, shutting the book; "that is all I wanted to know."

She rose from her seat, leaving the book on the table, but bearing away
the idea which had germinated in her mind and would ripen there.

Rene waited respectfully, taper in hand, until the queen, who seemed
about to retire, should give him fresh orders or ask fresh questions.

Catharine, with her head bent and her finger on her mouth, walked up and
down