"Does your majesty command me?"
"Why, yes; if necessary."
"In that case I obey. Last evening, having left two adorable women with whom we had spent the evening on the Saint Michel bridge, we took supper at Maître La Hurière's."
"In the first place," said Marguerite, perfectly naturally, "who is Maître La Hurière?"
"Maître La Hurière, madame," said La Mole, again glancing at Marguerite with the suspicion he had already felt, "Maître La Hurière is the host of the inn of the Belle Étoile in the Rue de l'Arbre Sec."
"Yes, I can see it from here. You were supping, then, at Maître La Hurière's with your friend Coconnas, no doubt?"
"Yes, madame, with my friend Coconnas, when a man entered and handed us each a note."
"Were they alike?" asked Marguerite.
"Exactly alike. They contained only a single line:
"'You are awaited in the Rue Saint Antoine, opposite the Rue Saint Jouy.'"