"Good," said Gonzague. "I must wait upon his majesty. And upon the
princess," he added.
Gonzague, whose intimacy with the king always made him the first to be
bidden to any special festivity, entered the tent unchallenged, and was
warmly welcomed by Louis. Peyrolles remained outside, walking up and
down, immersed in distasteful reflections. He had failed to find the
girl; he had failed to get on the traces of Lagardere; he had seen
nothing of Æsop. The ball, so pleasant to everybody else, seemed to him
full of menace, and he eyed with some disapproval the jolly, noisy folk
that thronged the alleys and shook the night with laughter. Swollen with
sour humors, he leaned against a tree, cursing in his heart the folly of
those swordsmen who had failed to get rid of a cursed enemy. Enveloped,
as it were, in bitterness, he failed to notice a not unnoticeable group
that detached itself from the crowd beyond and came slowly down the alley
towards the Fountain of Diana. The group was composed of a woman in a
rose-colored domino and mask, accompanied by two tall, masculine figures
muffled from head to heels in black dominos, and their features
completely hidden by bearded black masks. The pink domino and the twin
black dominos seemed to be seeking their way.
"This," said the bigger of the black dominos, and his voice was the
voice of Cocardasse--"this must be the Fountain of Diana."
The second of the black dominos pointed to the statue shining in the
many-tinted water, and spoke with the voice of Passepoil: "There's some
such poor heathen body."
The woman in the rose-pink domino turned to Cocardasse and asked: "Is
Henri here?" And her voice was the voice of Gabrielle.
"I don't see him yet, mademoiselle," Cocardasse answered.
Gabrielle sighed. "I wish he were come. All this noise and glitter
bewilder me." And the trio proceeded slowly to make the tour of the
fountain.
But if Peyrolles, propped against his tree, was too preoccupied to notice
the not unnoticeable group, light-hearted Chavernay was more alert.
Drifting, as every one drifted that night, again and again, towards the
Fountain of Diana as the centre of festivity, he turned to Navailles and
pointed to Gabrielle. "Who is that mask in the rose-colored domino? She
seems to seek some one."
Navailles laughed. "She goes about with two giants like some princess in
a fairy tale."
Nocé was prepared with an explanation. "It is Mademoiselle de Clermont,
who is looking for me."
Taranne pooh-poohed him. "Nonsense. It is Madame de Tessy, who is looking
for me."
"It might be Mademoiselle Nivelle, looking for me," Oriol suggested,
fatuously.
Choisy, Gironne, Albret, Montaubert--each in turn offered a possible name
for the unknown.
Chavernay would have none of their suggestions. "No, no. That is not any
one we know. She is neither court lady nor a play actress; she is some
goddess in disguise, and I am going to reveal divinity."
Then he tripped daintily forward and intercepted Gabrielle and her
companions as they accomplished their first tour of the pond. "Fair
lady," said Chavernay, with a graceful bow, "are you looking for some
one?"
The large arm of Cocardasse was interposed between Chavernay and
Gabrielle, and the large voice of Cocardasse counselled Chavernay: "Stand
aside, little man."
Quite indifferent to the counsels of the mighty mask, Chavernay
persisted: "Fair lady, dismiss this monster and accept my arm."
This time it was Passepoil's turn to intervene. "Out of the way!" he
commanded, and gave Chavernay a little push.
Instantly Chavernay's hot blood was in a flame, and he clapped his hand
to his sword. "How dare you, fellow--" he began.
But now Gabrielle, greatly alarmed at the prospect of a brawl in such a
place, and perfectly recognizing the marquis, removed her mask from her
face for a moment while she spoke: "Monsieur de Chavernay, you will let
me pass."
It was only for a moment, but it was long enough to give Chavernay time
to recognize her, and he fell back with a respectful salutation. It was
long enough, also, for Peyrolles, leaning against his tree and at last
roused from saddened thoughts to contemplation of the outer world, to get
a glimpse of the girl's face and to recognize its extraordinary
resemblance to the dead duke. He gave a start of surprise. Was fortune
playing into his hands, after all?
Chavernay bowed. "Your pardon, lady; your path is free," he said, and
stood aside while Gabrielle moved slowly forward with her escort on a
second tour of the fountain. Navailles and the others had seen, indeed,
the lady unmask, but were not near enough to descry her features.
"Well," said Navailles, eagerly, to Chavernay--"well, who was the lady?"