"Oh, you will not insult me by supposing that I should credit the absurd fable which has been reported, with what object I cannot tell, respecting M. de Guiche having been wounded by a wild boar. No, no, monsieur; the real truth is known, and, in addition to the inconvenience of his wound, M. de Guiche runs the risk of losing his liberty." "Alas! madame, I am well aware of that, but what is to be done?" "You have seen the king?" "Yes, madame." "What did you say to him?" "I told him how M. de Guiche had been to the chase, and how a wild boar had rushed forth out of the Bois-Rochin; how M. de Guiche fired at it, and how, in fact, the furious brute dashed at De Guiche, killed his horse, and grievously wounded himself." "And the king believed that?" "Perfectly." "Oh, you surprise me, Monsieur de Manicamp; you surprise me very much." And Madame walked up and down the room, casting a searching look from time to time at Manicamp, who remained motionless and impassible in the same place. At last she stopped. "And yet," she said, "every one here seems united in giving another cause for his wound." "What cause, madame," said Manicamp, "may I be permitted, without indiscretion, to ask your highness?" "You ask such a question? You, M. de Guiche's intimate friend, his confidant, indeed!" "Oh, madame! the intimate friend--yes; the confidant--no; De Guiche is a man who can keep his own secrets, who has some of his own, certainly, but who never breathes a syllable about them. De Guiche is discretion itself, madame." "Very well, then; those secrets which M. de Guiche keeps so scrupulously, I shall have the pleasure of informing you of," said the princess, almost spitefully; "for the king may possibly question you a second time, and if, on the second occasion, you were to repeat the same story to him, he possibly might not be very well satisfied with it." "But, madame, I think your highness is mistaken with regard to the king. His majesty has been perfectly satisfied with me, I assure you." "In that case, permit me to assure you, Monsieur de Manicamp, that only proves one thing, which is, that his majesty is very easily satisfied." "I think your highness is mistaken in arriving at such an opinion: his majesty is well known not to be contented except with very good reasons." "And do you suppose that he will thank you for your officious falsehood, when he will learn to-morrow that M. de Guiche had, on behalf of his friend, M. de Bragelonne, a quarrel which ended in a hostile meeting?" "A quarrel on M. de Bragelonne's account," said Manicamp, with the most innocent expression in the world; "what does your royal highness do me the honor to tell me?" "What is there astonishing in that? M. de Guiche is susceptible, irritable, and easily loses his temper." "On the contrary, madame. I know M. de Guiche to be very patient, and never susceptible or irritable except upon very good grounds." "But is not friendship a just ground?" said the princess.