"To-morrow, do you say! What happiness! But why are you changing your rooms?" "In order to serve your majesty to greater advantage." "How can your moving serve me?" "Do you happen to know where the two rooms destined for De Guiche are situated?" "Yes." "Well, your majesty now knows where I am going." "Very likely; but that does not help me." "What! is it possible you do not understand, sire, that above De Guiche's lodgings are two rooms, one of which is Mademoiselle de Montalais's, and the other--" "La Valliere's, is it not so, Saint-Aignan? Oh! yes, yes. It is a brilliant idea. Saint-Aignan, at true friend's idea, a poet's idea; in bringing me nearer her from whom the whole world seems to unite to separate me; you are far more than Pylades was for Orestes, or Patroclus for Achilles." "Sire," said Aignan, with a smile, "I question whether, if your majesty were to know my projects in their full extent, you would continue to confer such pompous qualifications upon me. Ah! sire, I know how very different are the epithets which certain Puritans of the court will not fail to apply to me when they learn what I intend to do for your majesty." "Saint-Aignan, I am dying from impatience; I am in a perfect fever; I shall never be able to wait until to-morrow--To-morrow! why to-morrow is an eternity!" "And yet, sire, I shall require you, if you please, to go out presently and divert your impatience by a good walk." "With you--agreed; we will talk about your projects, we will talk of her." "Nay, sire; I remain here." "Whom shall I go out with, then?" "With the queens and all the ladies of the court." "Nothing shall induce me to do that Saint-Aignan." "And yet, sire, you must do it." "No, no--a thousand times, no! I will never again expose myself to the horrible torture of being close to her, of seeing her, of touching her dress as I pass by her, and yet not to be able to say a word to her. No, I renounce a torture which you suppose to be happiness, but which consumes and eats away my very life; to see her in the presence of strangers and not to tell her that I love her, when my whole being reveals my affection and betrays me to every one; no! I have sworn never to do it again, and I will keep my oath." "Yet, sire, pray listen to me for a moment." "I will listen to nothing, Saint-Aignan." "In that case, I will continue; it is most urgent, sire--pray understand me, it is of the greatest importance--that Madame and her maids of honor should be absent for two hours from the palace." "I cannot understand your meaning at all, Saint-Aignan." "It is hard for me to give my sovereign directions what to do; but in this circumstance I do give you directions, sire; and either a hunting or promenade party must be got up."