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"It is Mademoiselle de Clermont, who is looking for me." Taranne pooh-poohed him. "Nonsense. It is Madame de Tessy, who is looking for me." "It might be Mademoiselle Nivelle, looking for me," Oriol suggested, fatuously. Choisy, Gironne, Albret, Montaubert each in turn offered a possible name for the unknown. Chavernay would have none of their suggestions. "No, no. That is not any one we know.
Taranne signed, Nocé signed, Oriol signed, Gironne signed, Choisy signed, Albret signed, Montaubert signed. When the pen was offered to Chavernay, Chavernay put his hands behind his back and shook his head. It came to Navailles to sign last. "Now for the happy pair," Navailles said.
"The man is mad," said Gironne. "There seems a method in his madness," said Chavernay, dryly. Albret interrupted them. "Here comes his majesty." "And, as I live, with the Princess de Gonzague!" Montaubert cried, amazed. Oriol elevated his fat palms. "Wonders will never cease!" All the party bowed respectfully as the king came slowly down the great walk, giving his arm to the Princess de Gonzague.
"I dare say they are no worse than most of your friends." Taranne, Nocé, Navailles, Oriol, Albret, Choisy, Gironne, and Montaubert caught him up angrily. They seemed offended at the suggestion. Gonzague placated them with a phrase: "Our dear Chavernay includes himself, no doubt." Chavernay accepted the suggestion. "Oh yes; there is devilishly little to choose between any of us."
Albret was tripping over a skipping-rope; Gironne puffed at a spinning windmill; Choisy played on a bagpipes, and Montaubert on a flute. In the background Monsieur Peyrolles watched all this mirthfulness with indifference and his master's face with attention. Gonzague looked round upon his friends with the indulgent smile of a still youthful school-master surrounded by his promising pupils.
Æsop, looking at the key with satisfaction, murmured to himself: "The best." As he moved slowly away from the king's tent a little crowd of Gonzague's friends Chavernay, Oriol, Navailles, Nocé, Gironne, Choisy, Albret, and Montaubert all laughing and talking loudly, crossed his path and perceived the hunchback, who seemed to them, naturally enough, a somewhat singular figure in such a scene.
After these again came Gonzague's own little tail of partisans, Navailles and Nocé, Taranne and Oriol, Choisy and Gironne, Albret and Montaubert, with Chavernay fluttering about them like an impudent butterfly, laughing at them, laughing at his august cousin, laughing at the king, laughing at himself laughing at everything.
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