The next day a grand hunt was to take place in the forest.  I had arranged to take no share in it, wishing to make the best of a whole day of solitude to push forward my hopeless undertaking.  Toward noon, the hunters met in the court-yard of the chateau, which rang again for some fifteen minutes with the loud blast of the trumpets, the stamping of horses, and the yelping of the pack.  Then the tumultuous crowd disappeared down the avenue, the noise gradually died away, and I remained master of myself and of my mind, in the midst of a silence the more grateful that it is the more rare on this meridian.

I had been enjoying my solitude for a few minutes, and I was turning over the folio pages of the Neustra pia, while smiling at my own happiness, when I fancied I heard the gallop of a horse in the avenue, and soon after on the pavement of the court.  Some hunter behind time, I thought, and, taking up my pen, I began extracting from the enormous volume the passage relating to the General Chapters of the Benedictines; but a new and more serious interruption came to afflict me; some one was knocking at the library-door.  I shook my head with ill-humor, and I said “Come in!” in the same tone in which I might have said “Go away!” Some one did come in.  I had seen, a few moments before, Madame de Palme taking her flight, feathers and all, at the head of the cavalcade, and I was not a little surprised to find her again within two steps of me as soon as the door was open.  Her head was bare, and her hair was tucked up behind in an odd manner; she held her whip in one hand, and with the other lifted up the long train of her riding-habit.  The excitement of the rapid ride she had just had seemed further to intensify the expression of audacity which is habitual to her look and to her features.  And yet her voice was less assured than usual when she exclaimed as she came in: 

“Ah!  I beg your pardon!  I thought Madame de Malouet was here?”

I had risen at once to my full height.

“No, madam, she is not here.”

“Ah! excuse me.  Do you know where she is?”

“I do not, madam; but I can go and ascertain, if you wish.”

“Thanks, thanks!  I’ll find her easily enough.  The fact is, I met with a little accident.”

“Indeed!”

“Oh, not much! a trailing limb tore the band off my hat, and my feathers dropped off.”

“Your blue feathers, madam?”

“Yes, my blue feathers.  In short, I have returned to the chateau to have my hat-band sewed on again.  You are comfortable there to work?”

“Perfectly so, madam, I could not be better.”

“Are you very busy just now?”

“Well, yes, madam, rather busy.”

“Ah!  I am sorry.”

“Why so?”

“Because, I had an idea.  I thought of asking you to accompany me to the forest.  The gentlemen will be nearly there when I am ready to start again—­and I cannot very well go on alone so far.”