stop near the moat.

Not more than five minutes had elapsed, during which the man of the pale
face, whom the reader has perhaps already recognized as Maurevel, had
scarcely had time to recover from the emotion caused by his unexpected
presence, when the horseman was joined by a man in a close-fitting coat,
like that of a page, who came by the road which is since known as the
Rue des Fosses Saint Nicholas.

Hidden in his leafy arbor, Maurevel could easily see and hear
everything, and when it is known that the cavalier was De Mouy and the
young man in the tight-fitting cloak Orthon, one may imagine whether
Maurevel's eyes and ears were not on the alert.

Both men looked very carefully around. Maurevel held his breath.

"You may speak, monsieur," said Orthon, who being the younger was the
more confident; "no one can either see or hear us."

"That is well," said De Mouy, "you are to go to Madame de Sauve, and if
you find her in her rooms give her this note. If she is not there, you
will place it behind the mirror where the king is in the habit of
putting his letters. Then you will wait in the Louvre. If you receive an
answer, you will bring it you know where; if no reply is sent, you will
meet me this evening with a petronel at the spot I showed you, and from
which I have just come."

"Very well," said Orthon, "I understand."

"I will now leave you. I have much to do to-day. You need make no
haste--there is no use in it, for you do not need to reach the Louvre
until he is there, and I think he is taking a lesson in hawking this
morning. Now go, and show me what you can do. You have recovered, and
you apparently are going to thank Madame de Sauve for her kindness to
you during your illness. Now go, my boy."

Maurevel listened, his eyes fixed, his hair on end, his forehead covered
with perspiration. His first impulse had been to detach one of his
pistols from his belt and aim at De Mouy; but a movement of the latter
had opened his cloak and displayed a firm and solid cuirass. Therefore
in all probability the ball would flatten itself against this cuirass or
strike some part of the body wherein the wound would not be fatal.
Besides, he reflected that De Mouy, strong and well armed, would have an
advantage over him, wounded as he was. So with a sigh he drew back the
weapon which he had pointed at the Huguenot.

"How unfortunate," he murmured, "that I am unable to stretch him dead on
the spot, without other witness th