Go, and send her to me, and take care of your foot." Montalais did not wait for the order to be repeated; she returned to her room, almost forgetting to feign lameness, wrote an answer to Malicorne, and slipped it under the carpet.

The answer simply said: "She shall." A Spartan could not have written more laconically.
"By this means," thought Madame, "I will look narrowly after all on the road; she shall sleep near me during the night, and his majesty must be very clever if he can exchange a single word with Mademoiselle de la Valliere." La Valliere received the order to set off with the same indifferent gentleness with which she had received the order to play Cinderella.
But, inwardly, her delight was extreme, and she looked upon this change in the princess's resolution as a consolation which Providence had sent her.

With less penetration than Madame possessed, she attributed all to chance.

While every one, with the exception of those in disgrace, of those who were ill, and those who were suffering from sprains, were being driven towards Saint-Germain, Malicorne smuggled his workman into the palace in one of M.de Saint-Aignan's carriages, and led him into the room corresponding to La Valliere's.

The man set to work with a will, tempted by the splendid reward which had been promised him.