“I am to dress monsieur when monsieur is ready,” said this person.

“I am ready now,” I answered, and he led me into a suite of rooms and showed me an array which took my breath:  dove-colored satin knee breeches, and a long embroidered coat of like color, a vest sprigged with rosebuds, cravat and lace ruffles, long silk stockings and shoes to match in extravagance, a shirt of fine lawn, and a hat for a nobleman.

“Tell your master,” I said to the lackey, “that he intends me great kindness, but I prefer my own clothes.”

“These are monsieur’s own clothes, made to his order and measure.”

“But I gave no order, and I was not measured.”

The man raised his shoulders and elbows with gentlest dissent.

“These are only a few articles of monsieur’s outfit.  Here is the key.  If monsieur selects another costume he will find each one complete.”

By magic as it seemed, there was a wardrobe full of fineries provided for my use.  The man displayed them; in close trousers and coats with short fronts, or knee breeches and long tails; costumes, he said, for the street, for driving, riding, traveling, for evening, and for morning; and one white satin court dress.  At the marquis’ order he had laid out one for a ball.  Of my old clothes not a piece was to be seen.

The miracle was that what he put upon me fitted me.  I became transformed like my servant and my secretary, and stood astonished at the result.

VI

“Enter the prince of a fairy tale,” said the Marquis du Plessy when the lackey ushered me into the garden.

It was a nest of amber at that time of sunset, and he waited for me at a table laid for supper, under a flat canopy of trees which had their tops trained and woven into a mat.

I took his hand to kiss, but he rose up and magnificently placed me in a chair opposite himself.

“Your benefits are heavy, monsieur,” I said.  “How shall I acknowledge them?”

“You owe me nothing at all,” he answered; “as you will see when I have told you a true story.  It would sound like a lie if anything were incredible in these fabulous times.”

“But you do not know anything about me.”

“I am well instructed in your history, by that charming attendant in fringed leather breeches, who has been acquainted with you much longer than you have been acquainted with yourself.”

“Yet I am not sure of deserving the marquis’ interest.”

“Has the marquis admitted that he feels any interest in you?  Though this I will own:  few experiences have affected me like your living eyes staring out of the face of my dead king!”

We met each other again with a steady gaze like that in the mortuary chapel.

“Do you believe I am ——?”

“Do I believe you are ——?  Who said there was such a person in existence?”

“Louis Philippe.”