very room in which we now are, on the
evening of the 24th of August, your Majesty promised me to avenge us on
the murderer, and as since that time very grave events have occurred I
thought that in spite of himself the King had changed his mind. Seeing
Maurevel within reach, I believed Heaven had sent him to me. Your
Majesty knows the rest. Sire, I sprang upon him as upon an assassin and
fired at his men as I would have fired at bandits."

Charles made no reply. His friendship for Henry had for some time made
him look at many things in a different light from which he had at first
seen them, and more than once with terror.

In regard to Saint Bartholomew the queen mother had registered in her
memory remarks which had fallen from her son's lips and which resembled
remorse.

"But," observed Catharine, "what were you doing at that hour in the
apartments of the King of Navarre?"

"Oh!" replied De Mouy, "it is a long story, but if his Majesty has the
patience to listen"--

"Yes," said Charles; "speak, I wish to hear it."

"I will obey, sire," said De Mouy, bowing.

Catharine sat down, fixing an anxious look on the young chief.

"We are listening," said Charles. "Here, Acteon!"

The dog resumed the place he had occupied before the prisoner had been
admitted.

"Sire," said De Mouy, "I came to his majesty the King of Navarre as the
deputy of our brethren, your faithful subjects of the reformed
religion."

Catharine signed to Charles IX.

"Be quiet, mother," said the latter. "I do not lose a word. Go on,
Monsieur de Mouy, go on; why did you come?"

"To inform the King of Navarre," continued Monsieur de Mouy, "that his
abjuration had lost for him the confidence of the Huguenot party; but
that, nevertheless, in remembrance of his father, Antoine de Bourbon,
and especially on account of his mother, the courageous Jeanne d'Albret,
whose name is dear among us, the followers of the reformed religion owed
him this mark of deference, to beg him to desist from his claims to the
crown of Navarre."

"What did he say?" asked Catharine, unable in spite of her self-control
to receive this unexpected blow calmly.

"Ah! ah!" said Charles, "and yet this crown of Navarre, which without my
permission has been made to jump from head to head, seems to belong a
little to me."

"The Huguenots, sire, recognize better than any one the principle of
sovereignty to which your Majesty has just referred. Therefore they
hope to induce you