to St. Maline, and said, "Shall I try to cure you?"

"No, do not try that; you would fail. Hate me, on the contrary, and I
shall admire you."

An hour after they entered the Louvre; the king had gone out, and would
not return until evening.




CHAPTER XXX.

DE LOIGNAC'S INTERVIEW WITH THE FORTY-FIVE.


Each of the young men placed himself at a window to watch for the return
of the king. Ernanton, however, soon forgot his present situation, and
became abstracted in thinking who the woman could be who had entered
Paris as his page, and whom he had since seen in such a splendid litter;
and with a heart more disposed to love adventure than to make ambitious
calculations, he forgot why he was sitting there, till, suddenly raising
his head, he saw that St. Maline was no longer there. He understood at
once that he had seen the king arrive, and had gone to him. He rose
quickly, traversed the gallery, and arrived at the king's room just as
St. Maline was coming out.

"Look!" cried he joyfully, "what the king has given me," and he showed a
gold chain.