"I am on guard, you see. I cannot talk with you."

"I cannot remember having asked monsieur to talk with me."

"Ah, but you must not pout in that pretty way, or else I cannot help
talking to you," whispered the captain. "What is this in your hand,
then?"

"A note from Madame de Maintenon to the king. You will hand it to him,
will you not?"

"Certainly, mademoiselle. And how is Madame, your mistress?"

"Oh, her director has been with her all the morning, and his talk is
very, very good; but it is also very, very sad. We are not very
cheerful when Monsieur Godet has been to see us. But I forget monsieur
is a Huguenot, and knows nothing of directors."

"Oh, but I do not trouble about such differences. I let the Sorbonne
and Geneva fight it out between them. Yet a man must stand by his
family, you know."

"Ah! if Monsieur could talk to Madame de Maintenon a little! She would
convert him."

"I would rather talk to Mademoiselle Nanon, but if--"

"Oh!" There was an exclamation, a whisk of dark skirts, and the
soubrette had disappeared down a side passage.