“I recommend you, sister, to discover the name and profession of this discreet cavalier; for I suspect him, while he interests me.  To my offers of service, he replied that the master whom he served let him want for nothing.

“I can tell you no more about him, but that he pretends not to know me.  I suffer much, but believe my life is not in danger.  Send me my surgeon at once; I am lying like a horse upon straw, the bearer will tell you where.

     “Your affectionate brother,

     “Mayenne.”

When they had finished reading, the duchess and Mayneville looked at each other in astonishment.  The duchess broke the silence first.

“To whom,” said she, “do we owe the signal service that you have rendered us, monsieur?”

“To a man who, whenever he can, helps the weak against the strong.”

“Will you give me some details, monsieur?”

Ernanton told all he had seen, and named the duke’s place of retreat.

Madame de Montpensier and Mayneville listened with interest.  When he had finished, the duchess said: 

“May I hope, monsieur, that you will continue the work so well begun, and attach yourself to our house?”

These words, said in the gracious tone that the duchess knew so well how to use, were very flattering to Ernanton, after the avowal which he had made; but the young man, putting vanity aside, attributed them to simple curiosity.

He knew well that the king, in making it a condition that he should reveal the duchess’s place of abode, had some object in view.  Two interests contended within him—­his love, that he might sacrifice; and his honor, which he could not.  The temptation was all the stronger, that by avowing his position near the king, he should gain an enormous importance in the eyes of the duchess; and it was not a light consideration for a young man to be important in the eyes of the Duchesse de Montpensier.  St. Maline would not have resisted a minute.  All these thoughts rushed through Ernanton’s mind, but ended by making him stronger than before.

“Madame,” said he, “I have already had the honor of telling M. de Mayenne that I serve a good master, who treats me too well for me to desire to seek another.”

“My brother tells me in his letter, monsieur, that you seemed not to recognize him.  How, if, you did not know him, then, did you use his name to penetrate to me?”

“M. de Mayenne seemed to wish to preserve his incognito, madame; and I, therefore, did not think I ought to recognize him; and it might have been disagreeable for the peasants to know what an illustrious guest they were entertaining.  Here there was no reason for secrecy; on the contrary, the name of M. de Mayenne opened the way to you; so I thought that here, as there, I acted rightly.”