the results of which he was far from guessing; and he soon after joined
the ladies of honor who were walking about in the flower-gardens. During
this time, the Chevalier de Lorraine, who had returned to his own room,
read De Wardes's latter with surprise, for it informed him by the hand
of his valet, of the sword-thrust received at Calais, and of all the
details of the adventure, and invited him to inform De Guiche and
Monsieur, whatever there might be in the affair likely to be most
disagreeable to both of them. De Wardes particularly endeavored to prove
to the chevalier the violence of Madame's affection for Buckingham, and
he finished his letter by declaring that he thought this feeling was
returned. The chevalier shrugged his shoulders at the last paragraph,
and, in fact, De Wardes was out of date, as we have seen. De Wardes was
still only at Buckingham's affair. The chevalier threw the letter over
his shoulder upon an adjoining table, and said in a disdainful tone,
"It is really incredible; and yet poor De Wardes is not deficient in
ability; but the truth is, it is not very apparent, so easy is it to
grow rusty in the country. The deuce take the simpleton, who ought to
have written to me about matters of importance, and yet he writes such
silly stuff as that. If it had not been for that miserable letter, which
has no meaning at all in it, I should have detected in the grove yonder
a charming little intrigue, which would have compromised a woman, would
have perhaps have been as good as a sword-thrust for a man, and have
diverted Monsieur for many days to come."

He looked at his watch. "It is now too late," he said. "One o'clock
in the morning; every one must have returned to the king's apartments,
where the night is to be finished; well, the scent is lost, and unless
some extraordinary chance--" And thus saying, as if to appeal to his
good star, the chevalier, greatly out of temper, approached the
window, which looked out upon a somewhat solitary part of the garden.
Immediately, and as if some evil genius was at his orders, he perceived
returning towards the chateau, accompanied by a man, a silk mantle of
a dark color, and recognized the figure which had struck his attention
half an hour previously.

"Admirable!" he thought, striking his hands together, "this is my
providential mysterious affair." And he started out precipitately, along
the staircase, hoping to reach the courtyard in time to recognize the
woman