vacant. Nothing showed that anything had
occurred.

"Orthon is not here," said he.

He passed on to the next room. There everything was explained.

In spite of the water which had been thrown on in bucketsful, great red
spots covered the floor. A piece of furniture was broken, the bed
curtains had been slashed by the sword, a Venetian mirror had been
shattered by a bullet; and a bloody hand which had left its terrible
imprint on the wall showed that this silent chamber had been the scene
of a frightful struggle. Henry embraced all these details at a glance,
and passing his hand across his forehead, now damp with perspiration,
murmured:

"Ah, I know now the service the King has rendered me. They came here to
assassinate me--and--ah! De Mouy! what have they done to De Mouy? The
wretches! They may have killed him!"

And as anxious to learn the news as the Duc d'Alencon was to tell it,
Henry threw a last mournful glance on the surrounding objects, hurried
from the room, reached the corridor, made sure that it was vacant, and
pushing open the half-closed door, which he carefully shut behind him,
he hurried to the Duc d'Alencon's.

The duke was waiting for him in the first room. Laying his finger on his
lips, he hastily took Henry's hand and drew him into a small round tower
which was completely isolated, and which consequently was out of range
of spies.

"Ah, brother," said he, "what a horrible night!"

"What happened?" asked Henry.

"They tried to arrest you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

"For what reason?"

"I do not know. Where were you?"

"The King took me into the city with him last night."

"Then he knew about it," said D'Alencon. "But since you were not in your
rooms, who was?"

"Was some one there?" asked Henry as if he were ignorant of the fact.

"Yes, a man. When I had heard the noise, I ran to help you; but it was
too late."

"Was the man arrested?" asked Henry, anxiously.

"No, he escaped, after he had wounded Maurevel dangerously and killed
two guards."

"Ah! brave De Mouy!" cried Henry.

"It was De Mouy, then?" said D'Alencon, quickly.

Henry saw that he had made a mistake.

"I presume so," said he, "for I had an appointment with him to discuss
your escape, and to tell him that I had yielded all my rights to the
throne of Navarre to you."

"If that is known," said D'Alencon, growing pale, "we are lost."

"Yes, for Maurevel will speak."

"Maurevel received a sword-thrust in his thro