said, with an insolent stare:

"This gentleman must have mistaken the Louvre for the Gloriette."

Le Brusquet plucked my sleeve in warning; but I was cool enough, and
had no intention of again laying myself open to the law. I gave Simon
stare for stare. "Yes; it is I," I answered coldly; and then, turning
to De Ganache: "Monsieur, it was from the Vidame d'Orrain that I had
the good fortune to rescue Mademoiselle de Paradis. I thought you knew
of this. If not, you know now with whom your arm is linked."

"By God!" Simon burst out, "if I did not remember where I was----"

"Tush!" I broke in, "there are a hundred other places where we can
settle our differences. I have no time to be brawling here."

With this I pushed past, and left them looking at each other as,
followed by Le Brusquet, I gained the door to the Queen's apartment.
As we came up De Lorgnac himself appeared, and passed us into the
anteroom. I well remembered that cheerless tomb through which I had
passed a month ago; but now it was all glittering bright. The door of
the Queen's cabinet was closed; but to the right folding doors--that I
had not observed before--were open, giving a glimpse, through the
half-drawn curtains, of a crowded salon beyond. In the ante-room
itself there were about a dozen or so of ladies-in-waiting and pages,
all talking and laughing; and as we followed De Lorgnac I felt a light
touch at my elbow, and turning met a merry face that smiled up at me.
It was little Mademoiselle Davila, the same who with Madame de Montal
had met us at Longpont.

"_Eh bien_! So you have come, monsieur. I can tell you that you have
been expected. Oh! we have heard about you at last--heard twice
over--and we are all thinking of playing truant and running away to the
forest of Vincennes or Monceaux. That last is better, for it is nearer
Paris----" But here her breathless chatter was cut short by a "Hush!"
from the salon, and then we heard the strings of a harp being touched.

"'Tis _belle_ Marie, the little Queen of Scotland!" And moving forward
a couple of steps we were able to see into the next room. I looked
round in vain for mademoiselle, and then my glance was arrested by a
tall, fair-haired girl who was before a harp; and even I, who should
have had no eyes but for one face, stood as if spellbound. As her
fingers ran over the harp strings a low, wailing melody filled the
room, and then with a voice of strange sweetness she sang a