borne at the
head of the procession, complete order was restored.

Chapter XI. Night.

Concord returned to its place amidst the tents. English and French
rivaled each other in their devotion and courteous attention to the
illustrious travelers. The English forwarded to the French baskets
of flowers, of which they had made a plentiful provision to greet the
arrival of the young princess; the French in return invited the English
to a supper, which was to be given the next day. Congratulations were
poured in upon the princess everywhere during her journey. From the
respect paid her on all sides, she seemed like a queen; and from the
adoration with which she was treated by two or three; she appeared
an object of worship. The queen-mother gave the French the most
affectionate reception. France was her native country, and she had
suffered too much unhappiness in England for England to have made her
forget France. She taught her daughter, then, by her own affection
for it, that love for a country where they had both been hospitably
received, and where a brilliant future opened before them. After the
public entry was over, and the spectators in the streets had partially
dispersed, and the sound of the music and cheering of the crowd could be
heard only in the distance; when the night had closed in, wrapping with
its star-covered mantle the sea, the harbor, the town, and surrounding
country, De Guiche, still excited by the great events of the day,
returned to his tent, and seated himself upon one of the stools with so
profound an expression of distress that Bragelonne kept his eyes fixed
upon him, until he heard him sigh, and then he approached him. The count
had thrown himself back on his seat, leaning his shoulders against the
partition of the tent, and remained thus, his face buried in his hands,
with heaving chest and restless limbs.

"You are suffering?" asked Raoul.

"Cruelly."

"Bodily, I suppose?"

"Yes; bodily."

"This has indeed been a harassing day," continued the young man, his
eyes fixed upon his friend.

"Yes; a night's rest will probably restore me."

"Shall I leave you?"

"No; I wish to talk to you."

"You shall not speak to me, Guiche, until you have first answered my
questions."

"Proceed then."

"You will be frank with me?"

"I always am."

"Can you imagine why Buckingham has been so violent?"

"I suspect."

"Because he is in love with Madame, is it not?"

"One could almost swea