ill you not?"

Scarcely had the Duc d'Alencon finished making the suggestion, when a
step was heard approaching in the corridor, and a key was turned in the
lock.

"Who is that?" cried the duke, rushing to the door and drawing the bolt.

"By Heaven!" replied a voice from outside; "I find that a strange
question. Who are you yourself? This is pleasant! I return to my own
room, and am asked who I am!"

"Is it you, Monsieur de la Mole?"

"Yes, it is I, without a doubt. But who are you?"

While La Mole was expressing his surprise at finding his room occupied,
and while he was trying to discover its new occupant, the Duc d'Alencon
turned quickly, one hand on the lock, the other on the key.

"Do you know Monsieur de la Mole?" he asked of De Mouy.

"No, monseigneur."

"Does he know you?"

"I think not."

"In that case it will be all right. Appear to be looking out of the
window."

De Mouy obeyed in silence, for La Mole was beginning to grow impatient,
and was knocking on the door with all his might.

The Duc d'Alencon threw a last glance towards De Mouy, and seeing that
his back was turned, he opened the door.

"Monseigneur le Duc!" cried La Mole, stepping back in surprise. "Oh,
pardon, pardon, monseigneur!"

"It is nothing, monsieur; I needed your room to receive a visitor."

"Certainly, monseigneur, certainly. But allow me, I beg you, to take my
cloak and hat from the bed, for I lost both to-night on the quay of the
Greve, where I was attacked by robbers."

"In fact, monsieur," said the prince, smiling, himself handing to La
Mole the articles asked for, "you are very poorly accommodated here.
You have had an encounter with some very obstinate fellows, apparently!"

The duke handed to La Mole the cloak and the hat. The young man bowed
and withdrew to the antechamber to change his clothes, paying no
attention to what the duke was doing in his room; for it was an ordinary
occurrence at the Louvre for the rooms of the gentlemen to be used as
reception-rooms by the prince to whom the latter were attached.

De Mouy then approached the duke, and both listened for La Mole to
finish and go out; but when the latter had changed his clothes, he
himself saved them all further trouble by drawing near to the door.

"Pardon me, monseigneur," said he, "but did your highness meet the Count
de Coconnas on your way?"

"No, count, and yet he was at service this morning."

"In that case they will assassinate me," said