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LOUISE DE LA VALLIERE. 93 was walking and fired. An exclamation of anger was De Guiche's answer; the comte's arm contracted and dropped motionless by his side, and the pistol fell from his grasp. De Wardes observed the comte stoop down, pick up his pistol with his left hand, and again advance toward him. His anxiety was excessive. "I am lost,^' murmured De Wardes, "he is not mortally wounded." At the very mo- ment, however, that De Guiche was about to raise his pistol against De Wardes, the head, shoulders, and limbs of the comte all seemed to give way. He heaved a deep-drawn sigh, tottered, and fell at the feet of De Wardes' horse. "That is all right," said De Wardes, and gathering up the reins, he struck his spurs into his horse's sides. The horse cleared the comte's motionless body, and bore De Wardes rapidly back to the chateau. When he arrived there he remained a quarter of an hour deliberating within himself as to the proper course to be adopted. In his im- patience to leave the field of battle he had omitted to ascer- tain whether De Guiche were dead or not. A double hypothesis presented itself to De Wardes' agitated mind; either De Guiche was killed, or De Guiche was wounded only. If he were killed, why should he leave his body in that manner to the tender mercies of the wolves; it was a perfectly useless piece of cruelty, for if De Guiche were dead, he certainly could not breathe a syllable of what had passed; if he were not killed, why should he, De Wardes, in leaving him there uncared for, allow himself to be re- garded as a savage, incapable of one generous feeling? This last consideration determined his line of conduct. De Wardes immediately instituted inquiries after Mani- camp. He was told that Manicamp had been looking after De Guiche, and, not knowing where to find him, had re- tired to bed. De Wardes went and woke the sleeper with- out any delay, and related the whole affair to him, which Manicamp listened to in pefect silence, but with an expres- sion of momentarily increasing energy, of which his face could hardly have been supposed capable. It was only when De Wardes had finished that Manicamp uttered the words, "Let us go." As they proceeded Manicamp became more and more ex- cited, and in proportion as De Wardes related the details of the affair to him, his countenance assumed every moment a darkening expression. "And so," he said, when De Wardes had finished, "you think he is dead?" "Alas, I do."