"Ah!" replied Monsieur de Menneval, sorrowfully. "And I would that the man, whom I marry, should aspire to every thing, and achieve every thing." "I will try so to do, if you wish it." "Listen; I give you an hour to reflect. I am, you know, the King's god-daughter. I have begged of him an embassy for you." "Ah!" said Monsieur de Menneval, with indifference. "He has granted my request. If you love me, you will accept the offer. We will be married this evening, and your Excellency the Ambassador to Prussia will set off for Berlin immediately after the nuptials. Reflect; I grant you an hour." "It is useless," answered Monsieur de Menneval; "I have no need of reflection, for I love you. Your wishes are my orders: to obey you is my only desire. I accept the embassy." "Never mind!" said she, trembling with joy and blushing deeply. "Pass into the room, wherein you were just now waiting. I must complete my toilet, and I shall then be at your service. I will summon you." The Marchioness handed out the Baron by the right-hand door, as she had handed out the Marquis by the left; and then said to herself: "I shall be prettily embarrassed, if Monsieur de Beaugency should consent to end his days at Courlac!" Thereupon, the King removed the screen and reappeared. His Majesty stepped quietly to the round table, whereupon he had replaced the oranges, and took up one of them. "Ah!" exclaimed the Marchioness, "I perceive, Sire, that you foresee the difficulty that is about to spring up, and go back accordingly to the oranges, in order to settle it." As his sole reply, Louis XV. took a small ivory handled pen-knife from his waistcoat pocket, made an incision in the rind of the orange, peeled it off very neatly, divided the fruit into two parts, and offered one to the astonished Marchioness. "But, Sire, what are you doing?" was her eager inquiry. "You see that I am eating the orange." "But--" "It was of no manner of use to us." "You have decided then?" "Unquestionably. Monsieur de Menneval loves you better than Monsieur de Beaugency." "That is not quite certain yet; let us wait." "Look," said the King, pointing to the valet, who entered with a note from the Marquis, "You'll soon see." The widow opened the note, and read: "Madam, I love you--Heaven is my witness; and to give you up is the most cruel of sacrifices. But I am a gentleman. A gentleman belongs to the King. My life, my blood are his. I cannot, without forfeit of my loyalty, abandon his service----." "Et cetera," chimed in the King, "as was observed by the Abbé Fleury, my tutor. Marchioness, call in Monsieur de Menneval." Monsieur de Menneval entered, and was greatly troubled to see the King in the widow's boudoir.