Montalais, who occupied the other seat in the carriage, made the king a most respectful bow.

And then, with all the tact of a woman, she pretended to be exceedingly interested in the landscape, and withdrew herself into the left-hand corner.

The conversation between the king and La Valliere began, as all lovers' conversations generally do, namely, by eloquent looks and by a few words utterly devoid of common sense.

The king explained how warm he had felt in his carriage, so much so indeed that he could almost regard the horse he then rode as a blessing thrown in his way.

"And," he added, "my benefactor is an exceedingly intelligent man, for he seemed to guess my thoughts intuitively.