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LOUISE DE LA VALLIERE. 47 cypress-tree, and kept his face and person entirely concealed from the grave-diggers and the priests; the corpse was buried in five minutes. The grave having been filled up, the priests turned away, and the grave-digger having ad- dressed a few words to them, followed them as they moved away. The man in the mantle bowed as they passed him, and put a piece of money into the grave-digger's hand. '^Mordioux!" murmured D'Artagnan; "why, that man is Aramis himself." Aramis, in fact, remained alone, on that side at least; for hardly had he turned his head than a woman's footsteps and the rustling of her dress were heard in the path close to him. He immediately turned round, and took off his hat with the most ceremonious respect; he led the lady under the shelter of some walnut and lime-trees which overshad- owed a magnificent tomb. "Ah! who would have thought it," said D'Artagnan; "the Bishop of Vannes at a rendezvous! He is still the same Abbe Aramis as he was at Noisy le Sec. Yes," he added, after a pause; "but as it is in a cemetery, the ren- dezvous is sacred." And he began to laugh. The conversation lasted for fully half an hour. D'Ar- tagnan could not see the lady's face, for she kept her back toward him; but he saw perfectly well, by the erect attitude of both the speakers, by their gestures, by the measured and careful manner with which they glanced at each other, either by way of attack or defense, that they must be con- versing about any other subject than that of love. At the end of the conversation the lady rose and bowed most pro- foundly to Aramis. "Oh! oh!" said D'Artagnan; "this rendezvous finishes like one of a very tender nature, though. The cavalier kneels at the beginning, the young lady by and by gets tamed down, and then it is she who has to supplicate. Who is this girl? I would give anything to ascertain." This seemed impossible, however, for Aramis was the first to leave; the lady carefully concealed her head and face, and then immediately separated. D'Artagnan could hold out no longer; he ran to the window which looked out on the Eue de Lyon, and saw Aramis just entering the inn. The lady was proceeding in quite an opposite direction, and seemed, in fact, to be about to rejoin an equipage, consist- ing of two led horses and a carriage, which he could see standing close to the borders of the forest. She was walk-