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This was the elderly woman who always attended Mlle. d'Arency when the latter was abroad from the palace. She had invariably shown complete indifference to me, not appearing aware of my existence, and this time she said only: "This way, monsieur."
Mlle. d'Arency had trusted to my youth, agility, and supposed skill to give me the victory in that fight in the dark; and then to circumstances to disclose who had done the deed. "It was De Noyard's jealous rival," everybody would say. Having found a sufficient motive, no one would take the trouble to seek the real source, to trace the affair to the instigation of Catherine de Medici.
"She was a tool of Catherine de Medici's," said I, speaking with all the more contempt when I compared the guileful court beauty, Mile. d'Arency, with the pure, sweet woman before me; "one of those creatures whom Catherine called her Flying Squadron, and she betrayed a very honest gentleman to his death." "Betrayed him!" she repeated. "Yes, by a pretended love tryst."
I bowed very low, partly to conceal the flush that I felt mounting to my face. "Pardon me, Mile. d'Arency," I said, in a voice as steady as I could make it. Then I looked at her and saw her features assuming an expression of such coldness and astonishment that for some time neither my tongue nor my mind could continue the speech, nor could I move a step in retreat.
Mlle. d'Arency gave, in reply, an almost imperceptible smile of understanding; then Catherine and Guise passed on. Two looks, enduring not a moment; yet, had I known what was behind them, my life would assuredly have run an entirely different course. The gentlemen of the Duke of Guise now joined Catherine's ladies at the fireplace.
There was so much to mystify me that I did not even search my mind for explanations. I thought my happiness about to be attained, and left it for the future to explain, as it did! It was already dark when I started, on the evening appointed, for the house indicated by Mlle. d'Arency. I went without attendance, as was my custom, relying on my sword, my alertness of eye, and my nimbleness of foot.
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