to take leave of him
with many expressions of gratitude, but he would have me enter and
sit down with him to a light refection, which it was his habit to take
before retiring. Two of his gentlemen sat down with us, and a valet, who
was in his confidence, waiting on us, we made very merry over the scene
in the presence. I learned that M. de Bruhl was far from popular at
Court; but being known to possess some kind of hold over the king, and
enjoying besides a great reputation for recklessness and skill with the
sword, he had played a high part for a length of time, and attached to
himself, especially since the death of Guise, a considerable number of
followers.

'The truth is,' one of the marquis's gentlemen, who was a little heated
with wine, observed, 'there is nothing at this moment which a bold and
unscrupulous man may not win in France!'

'Nor a bold and Christian gentleman for France!' replied M. de
Rambouillet with, some asperity. 'By the way,' he continued, turning
abruptly to the servant, 'where is M. Francois?'

The valet answered that he had not returned with us from the castle. The
Marquis expressed himself annoyed at this, and I gathered, firstly, that
the missing man was his near kinsman, and, secondly, that he was also
the young spark who had been so forward to quarrel with me earlier in
the evening. Determining to refer the matter, should it become pressing,
to Rambouillet for adjustment, I took leave of him, and attended by
two of his servants, whom he kindly transferred to my service for the
present, I started towards my lodging a little before midnight.

The moon had risen while we were at supper, and its light, which
whitened the gables on one side of the street, diffused a glimmer below
sufficient to enable us to avoid the kennel. Seeing this, I bade the
men put out our torch. Frost had set in, and a keen wind was blowing,
so that we were glad to hurry on at a good pace; and the streets being
quite deserted at this late hour, or haunted only by those who had come
to dread the town marshal, we met no one and saw no lights. I fell to
thinking, for my part, of the evening I had spent searching Blois for
Mademoiselle, and of the difference between then and now. Nor did I fail
while on this track to retrace it still farther to the evening of our
arrival at my mother's; whence, as a source, such kindly and gentle
thoughts welled up in my mind as were natural, and the unfailing
affection of that graciou