is not strange
at all."

"And she is so devoted to your majesty," said Rene. "At least I should
think so."

Catharine smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"When a woman loves, is she faithful to any one but her lover? You must
have given her some philter, Rene."

"I swear I have not, madame."

"Well, well; we'll say no more about it. Show me this new opiate you
spoke of, that is to make her lips fresher and rosier than ever."

Rene approached a shelf and showed Catharine six small boxes of the same
shape, _i.e._, round silver boxes ranged side by side.

"This is the only philter she ever asked me for," observed Rene; "it is
true, as your majesty says, I composed it expressly for her, for her
lips are so tender that the sun and wind affect them equally."

Catharine opened one of the boxes; it contained a most fascinating
carmine paste.

"Give me some paste for my hands, Rene," said she; "I will take it away
with me."

Rene took the taper, and went to seek, in a private compartment, what
the queen asked for. As he turned, he fancied that he saw the queen
quickly conceal a box under her mantle; he was, however, too familiar
with these little thefts of the queen mother to have the rudeness to
seem to perceive the movement; so wrapping the cosmetic she demanded in
a paper bag, ornamented with fleurs-de-lis:

"Here it is, madame," he said.

"Thanks, Rene," returned the queen; then, after a moment's silence: "Do
not give Madame de Sauve that paste for a week or ten days; I wish to
make the first trial of it myself."

And she prepared to go.

"Your majesty, do you desire me to accompany you?" asked Rene.

"Only to the end of the bridge," replied Catharine; "my gentlemen and my
litter wait for me there."

They left the house, and at the end of the Rue de la Barillerie four
gentlemen on horseback and a plain litter were waiting.

On his return Rene's first care was to count his boxes of opiates. One
was wanting.

CHAPTER XXI.

MADAME DE SAUVE'S APARTMENT.

Catharine was not deceived in her suspicions. Henry had resumed his
former habits and went every evening to Madame de Sauve's. At first he
accomplished this with the greatest secrecy; but gradually he grew
negligent and ceased to take any precautions, so that Catharine had no
trouble in finding out that while Marguerite was still nominally Queen
of Navarre, Madame de Sauve was the real queen.

At the beginning of this story we said a word or