“Do you think I can stay there during the combat?”
“I do not wish you not to love your friends, but I do wish you not to leave M. d’Anjou alone at the Louvre.”
“Is not Crillon there?”
“Crillon is only a buffalo—a rhinoceros—a wild boar; while your brother is the serpent, whose strength lies in his cunning.”
“You are right; I should have sent him to the Bastile.”
When Chicot and the king entered, the young men were being dressed by their valets.
“Good morning, gentlemen,” said he; “I find you all in good spirits, I hope?”
“Yes, sire,” said Quelus.
“You look gloomy, Maugiron.”
“Sire, I am superstitious, and I had bad dreams last night, so I am drinking a little wine to keep up my spirits.”