“No; but I wish you to sit down upon the wall; there, that will do; there is quite room enough, and I would give a great deal to be allowed to sit down beside you.” “No, no; you are very well where you are; we should be seen.” “Do you really think so?” said Manicamp, in an insinuating voice. “I am sure of it.” “Very well, I remain in my tree, then, although I cannot be worse placed.” “Monsieur Manicamp, we are wandering away from the subject.” “You are right, we are so.” “You wrote me a letter?” “I did.” “Why did you write?” “Fancy, at two o’clock to-day, De Guiche left.” “What then?” “Seeing him set off, I followed him, as I usually do.” “Of course, I see that, since you are here now.” “Don’t be in a hurry. You are aware, I suppose, that De Guiche is up to his very neck in disgrace?” “Alas! yes.” “It was the very height of imprudence on his part, then, to come to Fontainebleau to seek those who had at Paris sent him away into exile, and particularly those from whom he had been separated.” “Monsieur Manicamp, you reason like Pythagoras.” “Moreover, De Guiche is as obstinate as a man in love can be, and he refused to listen to any of my remonstrances. I begged, I implored him, but he would not listen to anything. Oh, the deuce!” “What’s the matter?” “I beg your pardon, Mademoiselle Montalais, but this confounded branch, about which I have already had the honor of speaking to you, has just torn a certain portion of my dress.” “It is quite dark,” replied Montalais, laughing; “so, pray continue, M. Manicamp.” “De Guiche set off on horseback as hard as he could, I following him, at a slower pace. You quite understand that to throw one’s self into the water, for instance, with a friend, at the same headlong rate as he himself would do it, would be the act either of a fool or a madman. I therefore allowed De Guiche to get in advance, and I proceeded on my way with a commendable slowness of pace, feeling quite sure that my unfortunate friend would not be received, or, if he had been, that he would ride off again at the very first cross, disagreeable answer; and that I should see him returning much faster than he went, without having, myself, gone much farther than Ris or Melun--and that even was a good distance you will admit, for it is eleven leagues to get there and as many to return.” Montalais shrugged her shoulders. “Laugh as much as you like; but if, instead of being comfortably seated on the top of the wall as you are, you were sitting on this branch as if you were on horseback, you would, like Augustus, aspire to descend.” “Be patient, my dear M. Manicamp; a few minutes will soon pass away; you were saying, I think, that you had gone beyond Ris and Melun.”