And so, in truth, it is Monsieur de Guiche who has been thus unfortunate ?" "M.

de Guiche himself, Madame." "Are you aware, M.de Manicamp," said the princes, hastily, "that the king has the strongest antipathy to duels ?" "Perfectly so, Madame; but a duel with a wild beast is not answerable." "Oh, you will not insult me by supposing that I credit the absurd fable, with what object I cannot tell, respecting M.de Guiche having been wounded by a wild boar.

No, no, monsieur; the real truth is known, and, in addition to the inconvenience of his wound, M.de Guiche runs the risk of losing his liberty if not his life." "Alas! Madame, I am well aware of that, but what is to be done ?" "You have seen the king ?" "Yes, Madame." "What did you say to him ?" "I told him how M.de Guiche went to the chase, and how a wild boar rushed forth out of the Bois-Rochin; how M.de Guiche fired at it, and how, in fact, the furious brute dashed at De Guiche, killed his horse, and grievously wounded himself." "And the king believed that ?" "Implicitly." "Oh, you surprise me, Monsieur de Manicamp; you surprise me very much." And Madame walked up and down the room, casting a searching look from time to time at Manicamp, who remained motionless and impassible in the same place.

At last she stopped.
"And yet," she said, "every one here seems unanimous in giving another cause for this wound." "What cause, Madame ?" said Manicamp; "may I be permitted, without indiscretion, to ask your highness ?" "You ask such a question! You, M.de Guiche's intimate friend, his confidant, indeed!" "Oh, Madame! his intimate friend--yes; confidant--no.

De Guiche is a man who can keep his own secrets, who has some of his own certainly, but who never breathes a syllable about them.