Saint-Aignan asked his visitor if he brought any news with him.
"Yes; great news," replied the latter.
"Ah! ah!" said Saint-Aignan, "what is it ?" "Mademoiselle de la Valliere has changed her quarters." "What do you mean ?" said Saint-Aignan, opening his eyes very wide.

"She was living in the same apartments as Madame." "Precisely so; but Madame got tired of her proximity, and has installed her in a room which is situated exactly above your future apartment." "What! up there," exclaimed Saint-Aignan, with surprise, and pointing at the floor above him with his finger.
"No," said Malicorne, "yonder," indicating the building opposite.
"What do you mean, then, by saying that her room is above my apartment ?" "Because I am sure that your apartment _ought_, providentially, to be under Mademoiselle de la Valliere's room." Saint-Aignan, at this remark, gave poor Malicorne a look, similar to one of those La Valliere had already given a quarter of an hour before, that is to say, he thought he had lost his senses.
"Monsieur," said Malicorne to him, "I wish to answer what you are thinking about." "What do you mean by 'what I am thinking about' ?" "My reason is, that you have not clearly understood what I want to convey." "I admit it." "Well, then, you are aware that underneath the apartments set for Madame's maids of honor, the gentlemen in attendance on the king and on Monsieur are lodged." "Yes, I know that, since Manicamp, De Wardes, and others are living there." "Precisely.

Well, monsieur, admire the singularity of the circumstance; the two rooms destined for M.de Guiche are exactly the very two rooms situated underneath those which Mademoiselle de Montalais and Mademoiselle de la Valliere occupy." "Well; what then ?" "'What then,' do you say?
Why, these two rooms are empty, since M.de Guiche is now lying wounded at Fontainebleau." "I assure you, my dear fellow, I cannot grasp your meaning." "Well! if I had the happiness to call myself Saint-Aignan, I should guess immediately." "And what would you do then ?" "I should at once change the rooms I am occupying here, for those which M.de Guiche is not using yonder." "Can you suppose such a thing ?" said Saint-Aignan, disdainfully.

"What! abandon the chief post of honor, the proximity to the king, a privilege conceded only to princes of the blood, to dukes, and peers! Permit me to tell you, my dear Monsieur de Malicorne, that you must be out of your senses." "Monsieur," replied the young man, seriously, "you commit two mistakes.
My name is Malicorne, simply; and I am in perfect possession of all my senses." Then, drawing a paper from his pocket, he said, "Listen to what I am going to say; and afterwards, I will show you this paper." "I am listening," said Saint-Aignan.
"You know that Madame looks after La Valliere as carefully as Argus did after the nymph Io." "I do." "You know that the king has sought for an opportunity, but uselessly, of speaking to the prisoner, and that neither you nor myself have yet succeeded in procuring him this piece of good fortune." "You certainly ought to know something about the subject, my poor Malicorne," said Saint-Aignan, smiling.
"Very good; what do you suppose would happen to the man whose imagination devised some means of bringing the lovers together ?" "Oh! the king would set no bounds to his gratitude." "Let me ask you, then, M.de Saint-Aignan, whether you would not be curious to taste a little of this royal gratitude ?" "Certainly," replied Saint-Aignan, "any favor of my master, as a recognition of the proper discharge of my duty, would assuredly be most precious." "In that case, look at this paper, monsieur le comte." "What is it--a plan ?" "Yes; a plan of M.de Guiche's two rooms, which, in all probability, will soon be your two rooms." "Oh! no, whatever may happen." "Why so ?" "Because my rooms are the envy of too many gentlemen, to whom I certainly shall not give them up; M.de Roquelaure, for instance, M.de la Ferte, and M.de Dangeau, would all be anxious to get them." "In that case I shall leave you, monsieur le comte, and I shall go and offer to one of those gentlemen the plan I have just shown you, together with the advantages annexed to it." "But why do you not keep them for yourself ?" inquired Saint-Aignan, suspiciously.
"Because the king would never do me the honor of paying me a visit openly, whilst he would readily go and see any one of those gentlemen." "What! the king would go and see any one of those gentlemen ?" "Go! most certainly he would ten times instead of once.

Is it possible you can ask me if the king would go to an apartment which would bring him nearer to Mademoiselle de la Valliere ?" "Yes, indeed, delightfully near her, with a floor between them." Malicorne unfolded the piece of paper which had been wrapped round the bobbin.