that of his
least important courtier, wore an air of grave preoccupation; which I
had no difficulty in ascribing to the doubt present in every mind, and
outweighing every interest, whether the King of France was dead, or
dying, or merely wounded.

'Quick, sir!' Henry said with impatience, as soon as I came within
hearing. 'Do not detain me with your affairs longer than is necessary.
M. de Turenne presses me to carry into effect the order I gave
yesterday. But as you have placed yourself in jeopardy on my account I
feel that; something is due to you. You will be good enough, therefore,
to present yourself at once at M. la Varenne's lodging, and give me
your parole to remain there without stirring abroad until your affair is
concluded.'

Aware that I owed this respite, which at once secured my present safety
and promised well for the future, to the great event that, even in M. de
Turenne's mind, had overshadowed all others, I bowed in silence. Henry,
however, was not content with this. 'Come, sir,' he said sharply, and
with every appearance of anger, 'do you agree to that?'

I replied humbly that I thanked him for his clemency.

'There is no need of thanks,' he replied coldly. 'What I have done is
without prejudice to M. de Turenne's complaint. He must have justice.'

I bowed again, and in a moment the troop were gone at a gallop towards
Meudon, whence, as I afterwards learned, the King of Navarre, attended
by a select body of five-and-twenty horsemen, wearing private arms,
rode on at full speed to St. Cloud to present himself at his Majesty's
bedside. A groom who had caught the Cid, which had escaped into the town
with no other injury than a slight wound in the shoulder, by-and-by met
me with the horse; and in this way I was enabled to render myself with
some decency at Varenne's lodging, a small house at the foot of the
hill, not far from the Castle-gate.

Here I found myself under no greater constraint than that which my own
parole laid upon me; and my room having the conveniency of a window
looking upon the public street, I was enabled from hour to hour to
comprehend and enter into the various alarms and surprises which made
that day remarkable. The manifold reports which flew from mouth to mouth
on the occasion, as well as the overmastering excitement which seized
all, are so well remembered, however, that I forbear to dwell upon them,
though they served to distract my mind from my own position. Suffice it
th