"At your Majesty's service," said Monsieur de La Rochefoucauld, bowing.
"Walk beside me, duke, and repeat some of your excellent maxims! you must have devised a great number of them since we met."
"Lean on my arm, duke," said Mazarin to Monsieur de Bouillon, "I know that you have the gout."
Monsieur d'Épernon and Monsieur de La Meilleraie closed the procession, talking with the maids of honor.
The whole party were laughing merrily together in the warm rays of the setting sun, like a party of friends out for a holiday.
"Is it far from here to Bourcy?" the queen asked. "You should be able to tell me, Monsieur de La Rochefoucauld, you have studied the country so thoroughly."
"Three leagues, madame; we shall certainly be there before nine o'clock."
"Very good; and to-morrow you will start off early in the morning, and say to our dear cousin, Madame de Condé, that we shall be happy to see her."
"Your Majesty," said the Duc d'Épernon, "did you see the comely cavalier, who turned his face to the wall, and the lovely dame who disappeared when we alighted?"
"Yes," said the queen, "I saw them both; it seems that the nuns know how to enjoy themselves at the convent of Sainte-Radegonde de Peyssac."
At that moment the carriage drove rapidly up behind the illustrious promenaders, who were already some distance beyond the convent.
"Let us not weary ourselves, gentlemen," said the queen; "the king, you know, is to entertain us with music this evening."
The whole party re-entered the carriage and drove away with shouts of laughter, which were soon drowned by the rumbling of the wheels.
Cauvignac followed the carriage with his eyes, reflecting deeply upon the terrible contrast between their noisy gayety and the mute sorrow within the walls of the convent. When the carriage had passed out of sight, he said: —
"I am glad to know one thing, and that is that, bad as I am, there are people who are worse than I; and by Mary's death! I propose to try to make it true that there is nobody better than I; I am rich now, and it will be an easy matter."
He turned to take leave of Nanon, but she had disappeared. Thereupon, with a sigh, he mounted his horse, cast a last glance at the convent, started off at a gallop on the Libourne road, and disappeared in the opposite direction to that taken by the carriage containing the illustrious personages who have played leading parts in this narrative.
Perhaps we shall meet them again some day; for the pretended peace, but ill-cemented by the blood of Richon and Canolles, was a mere truce, and the War of Women was not yet at an end.