Page:Ten Years Later.djvu/223

Rh Then, followed by those who had accompanied him, he returned to the boat, which Buckingham had been enabled to reach with the greatest difficulty, but only after he had seen De Wardes out of danger. By this time it was high tide; the embroidered coats and silk sashes were lost; many hats, too, had been carried away by the waves. The flow of the tide had borne the duke's and De Wardes' clothes to the shore, and De Wardes was wrapped in the duke's doublet, under the belief that it was his own, and they carried him in their arms toward the town.

soon as Buckingham had gone De Guiche imagined that the coast would be perfectly clear for him without any interference. Monsieur, who no longer retained the slightest feeling of jealousy, and who, besides, permitted himself to be monopolized by the Chevalier de Lorraine, allowed as much liberty and freedom in his house as the most exacting person could desire. The king, on his side, who had conceived a strong predilection for madame's society, invented a variety of amusements, in quick succession to one another, in order to render her residence in Paris as cheerful as possible, so that, in fact, not a day passed without a ball at the Palais Royal or a reception in Monsieur's apartments. The king had directed that Fontainebleau should be prepared for the reception of the court, and every one was using his utmost interest to get invited. Madame led a life of incessant occupation; neither her voice nor her pen was idle for a moment. The conversations with De Guiche were gradually assuming a tone of interest which might unmistakably be recognized as the preludes of a deep-seated attachment. When eyes look languishingly while the subject under discussion happens to be colors of material for dresses; when a whole hour is occupied in analyzing the merits and the perfume of a sachet or a flower, there are words in this style of conversation which every one might listen to, but there are gestures and sighs which every one cannot perceive. After madame had talked for some time with De Guiche she conversed with the king, who paid her a visit regularly every day. They played, wrote verses, or selected mottoes or emblematical devices; the spring was