hearts most
hardened to crime:

"Does not my son Henry seem paler than usual this morning?" she asked
her captain of the guards.

There was nothing in the question. Henry was greatly troubled mentally;
but physically he was very strong.

By degrees those usually present at the queen's levee withdrew. Three or
four intimate ones remained longer than the others, but Catharine
impatiently dismissed them, saying that she wished to be alone. When the
last courtier had gone Catharine closed the door and going to a secret
closet hidden in one of the panels of her room she slid back a door in a
groove of wood and took out a book, the worn leaves of which showed
frequent use. Placing the volume on a table, she opened it to a
book-mark, then resting her elbow on the table and her head on one hand:

"That is it," murmured she, reading, "'headache, general weakness, pain
in the eyes, swelling of the palate.' As yet they have mentioned only
the pains in the head and weakness. But the other symptoms will not be
slow in forthcoming."

She continued:

"'Then the inflammation reaches the throat, extends to the stomach,
surrounds the heart like a circle of fire, and causes the brain to burst
like a thunderclap,'" she read on to herself. Then in a low voice:

"For the fever, six hours; for the general inflammation, twelve hours;
for the gangrene, twelve hours; for the suffering, six hours; in all
thirty-six hours. Now, suppose that the absorption is slow, and that
instead of thirty-six hours we have forty, even forty-eight, yes,
forty-eight hours should suffice. But Henry, how is it that he is still
up? Because he is a man, because he has a strong constitution, because
perhaps he drank after he kissed her, and wiped his lips after
drinking."

Catharine awaited the dinner hour with impatience.

Henry dined every day at the king's table. He came, he in turn
complained of pain in his head; he ate nothing, and withdrew immediately
after the meal, saying that having been awake a part of the previous
night, he felt a pressing need of sleep.

Catharine listened as his uncertain steps died away. Then she had him
followed. She was told that the King of Navarre had gone to Madame de
Sauve's apartments.

"Henry," said she to herself, "will this evening complete the work of
death which some unfortunate chance has left half finished."

The King of Navarre had indeed gone to Madame de Sauve's room, but it
was to tell her to continue pla