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364 LOUISE DE LA VALLIERB. cumstance, to allow the title to be disputed by any one. An indefatigable rhymester, he had, during the whole of the journey, overwhelmed with quatrains, sextains, and madrigals, first the king, and then La Valliere. The king was on his side in a similarly poetical mood, and had made a distich; while La Valliere, like all women who are in love, had composed two sonnets. As one may see, then, the day had not been a bad one for Apollo; and, therefore, as soon as he had returned to Paris, St. Aignan, who knew before- hand that his verses would be sure to be extensively circu- lated in court circles, occupied himself, with a little more attention than he had been able to bestow during the prom- enade, with the composition, as well as with the idea itself. Consequently, with all the tenderness of a father about to start his children in life, he candidly interrogated himself whether the public would find these offsprings of his imag- ination sufficiently elegant and graceful; and so, in order to make his mind easy on the subject, M. de St. Aignan re- cited to himself the madrigal he had composed, and which he had repeated from memory to the king, and which he had promised to write out for him on his return. All the time he was committing these words to memory, the comte was engaged in undressing himself more completely. He had just taken off his coat, and was putting on his dressing- gown, when he was informed that M. le Baron du Vallon de Bracieux de Pierrefonds was waiting to be received. "Eh!" he said, "what does that bunch of names mean? I don't know anything about him." "It is the same gentleman," replied the lackey, "who had the honor of dining with you, monseigneur, at the king's table, when his majesty was staying at Fontaine- bleau." "Introduce him, then, at once," cried St. Aignan. Porthos, in a few minutes, entered the room. M. de St. Aignan had an excellent recollection of persons, and, at the first glance, he recognized the gentleman from the country, who enjoyed so singular a reputation, and whom the king had received so favorably at Fontainebleau, in spite of the smiles of some of those who were present. He, therefore, advanced toward Porthos with all the outward signs of a consideration of manner which Porthos thought but natural, considering that he himself, whenever he called upon an adversary, hoisted the standard of the mcst refined polite- ness. St. Aignan desired the servant to give Porthos a chair; and the latter, who saw nothing unusual in this act