et Raoul away, but instead of following me, he put
his hand on my shoulder, and made me sit down again. 'Then Philippe is
making love to the little D'Averne?' said one. 'Since the fete of the
Marechal d'Estree, where she gave him a sword-belt with some verses, in
which she compared him to Mars,' replied another voice. 'That is eight
days ago,' said a third. 'Yes,' replied the first. 'Oh! she made a kind
of resistance, either that she really held by poor D'Harmental, or that
she knew that the regent only likes those who resist him. At last this
morning, in exchange for a basketful of flowers and jewels, she has
consented to receive his highness.'"

"Ah!" said the captain, "I begin to understand; the chevalier got
angry."

"Exactly. Instead of laughing, as you or I would have done, and
profiting by this circumstance to get back his brevet of colonel, which
was taken from him under pretext of economy, D'Harmental became so pale
that I thought he was going to faint; then, approaching the partition,
and striking with his fist, to insure silence, 'Gentlemen,' said he, 'I
am sorry to contradict you, but the one who said that Madame d'Averne
had granted a rendezvous to the regent, or to any other, has told a
lie.'

"'It was I who said it, and who repeat it, and if it displeases you, my
name is Lafare, captain of the guards.' 'And mine, Fargy,' said a second
voice. 'And mine, Ravanne,' said the third. 'Very well, gentlemen,'
replied D'Harmental, 'to-morrow, from nine to half-past, at the Port
Maillot.' And he sat down again opposite me. They talked of something
else, and we finished our supper. That is the whole affair, captain, and
you now know as much as I."

The captain gave vent to a kind of exclamation which seemed to say,
"This is not very serious;" but in spite of this semi-disapprobation, he
resolved none the less to support, to the best of his power, the cause
of which he had so unexpectedly been made the champion, however
defective that cause might appear to him in principle; besides, even had
he wished it, he had gone too far to draw back. They had now arrived at
the Port Maillot, and a young cavalier, who appeared to be waiting, and
who had from a distance perceived the baron and the captain, put his
horse to the gallop, and approached rapidly; this was the Chevalier
d'Harmental.

"My dear chevalier," said the Baron de Valef, grasping his hand, "permit
me, in default of an old friend, to present to you a new on