kward. The courtiers, frightened at this second
attack, caught him as he fell.

Francois, standing apart, wiped the perspiration from his brow, for he
alone knew the cause of the trouble from which his brother was
suffering.

On the other side the King of Navarre, already under the guard of
Monsieur de Nancey, looked upon the scene with growing astonishment.

"Well! well!" murmured he, with that wonderful intuition which at times
made him seem inspired, "was I perhaps fortunate in having been stopped
in my flight?"

He glanced at Margot, whose great eyes, wide open with surprise, were
looking first at him and then at the King.

This time Charles was unconscious. A litter was brought and he was laid
on it. They covered him with a cloak, taken from the shoulders of one of
the courtiers. The procession silently set out in the direction of
Paris, whence that morning light-hearted conspirators and a happy King
had started forth, and to which now a dying King was returning,
surrounded by rebel prisoners.

Marguerite, who throughout all this had lost neither the control of her
mind nor body, gave her husband a look of intelligence; then, passing so
close to La Mole that the latter was able to catch the following two
Greek words, she said:

"_Me deide_," which meant, "Fear nothing."

"What did she say?" asked Coconnas.

"She told me to fear nothing," replied La Mole.

"So much the worse," murmured the Piedmontese, "so much the worse; that
means that it is not good for us to be here. Every time that word has
been said to me in an encouraging tone I have either received a bullet
or a sword-thrust in my body, or a flower pot on my head. 'Fear
nothing,' whether in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, or French, has always meant
for me: 'Take care!'"

"Forward, gentlemen!" said the lieutenant of the light-horse.

"Without being indiscreet, monsieur," said Coconnas, "may we know where
we are going?"

"To Vincennes, I think," said the lieutenant.

"I would rather go elsewhere," said Coconnas; "but one does not always
go just where one wishes."

On the way the King recovered consciousness and some strength.

At Nanterre he even wanted to ride, but this was not allowed.

"Summon Maitre Ambroise Pare," said Charles, on reaching the Louvre.

He descended from his litter, ascended the stairs, leaning on the arm of
Tavannes, and entered his apartment, giving orders that no one be
allowed to follow him.

Every one had noticed that