Aurilly began to lose patience, and the bad passions of his nature to gain the ascendant. He began to suspect some secret under all this mystery. One day he remained a little behind with Remy, and renewed his attempts at seduction, which Remy repulsed as usual. "But," said Aurilly, "some day or other I must see your mistress." "Doubtless," said Remy; "but that will be when she likes, and not when you like." "But if I employ force." "Try," said Remy, while a lightning glance, which he could not repress, shot from his eyes. Aurilly tried to laugh. "What a fool I am!" said he; "what does it matter to me who she is? She is the same person whom the duke saw." "Certainly." "And whom he told me to bring to Chateau-Thierry." "Yes." "Well! that is all that is necessary. It is not I who am in love with her, it is monseigneur; and provided that you do not seek to escape or fly--" "Do we appear to wish to do so?" "No." "And she so little desires to do so, that were you not here we should continue our way to Chateau-Thierry; if the duke wishes to see us, we wish also to see him." "That is capital," said Aurilly. "Would your mistress like to rest here a little while?" continued he, pointing to a hotel on the road. "You know," said Remy, "that my mistress never stops but in towns." "Well, I, who have made no such vow, will stop here a moment; ride on, and I will follow." Remy rejoined Diana. "What was he saying?" asked she. "He expressed his constant desire--" "To see me?" "Yes." Diana smiled. "He is furious," continued Remy. "He shall not see me; of that I am determined." "But once we are at Chateau-Thierry, must he not see your face?" "What matter, if the discovery come too late? Besides, the duke did not recognize me." "No, but his follower will. All these mysteries which have so annoyed Aurilly for eight days had not existed for the prince; they had not excited his curiosity or awakened his souvenirs, while for a week Aurilly has been seeking, imagining, suspecting. Your face will strike on a memory fully awakened, and he will know you at once." At this moment they were interrupted by Aurilly, who had taken a cross-road and come suddenly upon them, in the hope of surprising some words of their conversation. The sudden silence which followed his arrival proved to him that he was in the way, and he therefore rode behind them. He instinctively feared something, as Remy had said, but his floating conjectures never for an instant approached the truth. From this moment his plans were fixed, and in order to execute them the better he changed his conduct, and showed himself the most accommodating and joyous companion possible during the rest of the day. Remy remarked this change not without anxiety.