all the king's friends and all his own; the princes and their
favorites, particularly those of the Duc d'Anjou. He was always
in opposition to the king, but in a hidden manner, pushing forward
those of his friends whom the example of La Mole and Coconnas
had not cured. Of course, his favorites and those of the king
lived in a state of antagonism, which brought on rencontres two
or three times a month, in which it was rare that some one was
not killed or badly wounded.

As for Catherine, she was at the height of her wishes; her favorite
son was on the throne, and she reigned through him, while she
pretended to care no more for the things of this world. St. Luc,
very uneasy at the absence of all the royal family, tried to
reassure his father-in-law, who was much distressed at this menacing
absence. Convinced, like all the world, of the friendship of
Henri for St. Luc, he had believed he was assuring the royal
favor, and now this looked like a disgrace. St. Luc tried hard
to inspire in them a security which he did not feel himself;
and his friends, Maugiron, Schomberg, and Quelus, clothed in
their most magnificent dresses, stiff in their splendid doublets,
with enormous frills, added to his annoyance by their ironical
lamentations.

"Eh! mon Dieu! my poor friend," said Jacques de Levis, Comte
de Quelus, "I believe now that you are done for. The king is
angry that you would not take his advice, and M. d'Anjou because
you laughed at his nose."

"No, Quelus, the king does not come, because he has made a pilgrimage
to the monks of the Bois de Vincennes; and the Duc d'Anjou is