that he had never been the same man since, either in health or in
demeanour. When he came back from his captivity and found the King
bent on crowning his return by the marriage of the children, he had
hung back, spoken of scruples about such unconscious vows, and had
finally only consented under stress of the personal friendship of
the King, and on condition that he and his wife should at once have
the sole custody of the little bride. Even then he moved about the
gay scene with so distressed and morose an air that he was
evidently either under the influence of a scruple of conscience or
of a foreboding of evil.

No one doubted that it had been the latter, when, three days later,
Henri II., in the prime of his strength and height of his spirits,
encountered young Des Lorges in the lists, received the splinter of
a lance in his eye, and died two days afterwards.

No sooner were his obsequies over than the Baron de Ribaumont set
off with his wife and the little bridal pair for his castle of
Leurre, in Normandy, nor was he ever seen at court again.




CHAPTER II. THE SEPARATION



Parted without the least regret,
Except that they had ever met.
* * * *