Page:Louise de la Valliere text.djvu/207

LOUISE DE lA VALLIERE. 197 themselves in making rhymes; from Mile, de Chatillon he went to Montalais, aucl then to Mile, de Tonnay-Charente. And thus, by this skillful maneuver, he found himself seated opposite to La Valliere, whom he completely con- cealed. Madame pretended to be greatly occupied; she was altering a group of flowers that she was working in tapestry. The king showed the corner of his letter to La Valliere, and the ^atter held out her handkerchief with a look which signmed, "Put the letter inside." Then, as the king had placed his own handkerchief upon his chair, he was adroit enough to let it fall on the ground, so that La Valliere slipped her handkerchief on the chair. The king took it up quietly, without any one observing what he did, placed the letter within it, and returned the handkerchief to the place he had taken it from. There was only just time for La Valliere to stretch out her hand to take hold of the handkerchief with its valuable contents. But madame, who had observed everything that had passed, said to Mile, de Chdtillon, "Chatillon, be good enough to pick up the king's handkerchief, if you please; it has fallen on the carpet." The young girl obeyed with the utmost precipitation, the king having moved from his seat, and La Valliere being in no little degree nervous and confused. "Ah! I beg your majesty's pardon," said Mile, de Chdtil- lon; "you have two handkerchiefs, I perceive." And the king was accordingly obliged to put into his pocket La Valliere's handkerchief as well as his own. He certainly gained that souvenir of Louise, who lost, however, a copy of verses which had cost the king ten hours' hard labor, and which, as far as he was concerned, was perhaps as good as a long poem. It would be impossible to de- scribe the king's anger and La Valliere's despair; but shortly afterward a circumstance occurred which was more than remarkable. When the king left, in order to retire to his own apartments, Malicorne, informed of what had passed, one can hardly tell how, was waiting in the ante- chamber. The antechambers of the Palais Eoyal are naturally very dark, and, in the evening, they were but in- differently lighted. Nothing pleased the king more than this dim light. As a general rule, love, whose mind and heart are constantly in a blaze, dislikes light anywhere else than in the mind and heart. And so the antechamber was dark; a page carried a torch before the king, who walked on slowly, greatly annoyed at what had recently occurred.