first told you to
love me, next, that your heart told you the same thing, and that when
those two voices are speaking to you, you hear only your heart's. Now
here I am. I love you and love you with my whole heart, and that is the
very reason why if ever I should have secrets I should not confide them
to you,--for fear of compromising you, of course,--for the queen's
friendship is changeable, it is a mother-in-law's."

This was not what Charlotte expected; it seemed to her that the
thickening veil between her and her lover every time she tried to sound
the depths of his bottomless heart was assuming the consistency of a
wall, and was separating them from each other. So she felt the tears
springing to her eyes as he made this answer, and as it struck ten
o'clock just at that moment:

"Sire," said Charlotte, "it is my bed-time; my duties call me very early
to-morrow morning to the queen mother."

"So you drive me away to-night, do you, sweetheart?"

"Henry, I am sad. As I am sad, you would find me tedious and you would
not like me any more. You see that it is better for you to withdraw."

"Very good," said Henry, "I will withdraw if you insist upon it, only,
_ventre saint gris_! you must at least grant me the favor of staying for
your toilet."

"But Queen Marguerite, sire! won't you keep her waiting if you remain?"

"Charlotte," replied Henry, gravely, "it was agreed between us that we
should never mention the Queen of Navarre, but it seems to me that this
evening we have talked about nothing but her."

Madame de Sauve sighed; then she went and sat down before her
toilet-table. Henry took a chair, pulled it along toward the one that
served as his mistress's seat, and setting one knee on it while he
leaned on the back of the other, he said:

"Come, my good little Charlotte, let me see you make yourself beautiful,
and beautiful for me whatever you said. Heavens! What things! What
scent-bottles, what powders, what phials, what perfumery boxes!"

"It seems a good deal," said Charlotte, with a sigh, "and yet it is too
little, since with it all I have not as yet found the means of reigning
exclusively over your majesty's heart."

"There!" exclaimed Henry; "let us not fall back on politics! What is
that little fine delicate brush? Should it not be for painting the
eyebrows of my Olympian Jupiter?"

"Yes, sire," replied Madame de Sauve, "and you have guessed at the first
shot!"

"And that pretty little ivory rake?"