"Your majesty is the first to inform me of it," replied Madame.
"I should have thought that you might have learned it this morning, during the reception of the ambassadors," said the king.
"From your emotion, sire, I imagined that something extraordinary had happened, but without knowing what."
The king, with his usual frankness, went straight to the point. "Why have you sent Mademoiselle de la Valliere away?"
"Because I had reason to be dissatisfied with her conduct," she replied dryly.
The king became crimson, and his eyes kindled with a fire which it required all Madame's courage to support. He mastered his anger, however, and continued, "A stronger reason than that is surely requisite, for one so good and kind as you are, to turn away and dishonor, not only the young girl herself, but every member of her family as well. You know that the whole city has its eyes fixed upon the conduct of the female portion of the court. To dismiss a maid of honor is to attribute a crime to her—at the very least a fault. What crime, what fault has Mademoiselle de la Valliere been guilty of?"
"Since you constitute yourself the protector of Mademoiselle de la Valliere," replied Madame, coldly, "I will give you those explanations which I should have a perfect right to withhold from every one."
"Even from the king!" exclaimed Louis, as, with a sudden gesture, he covered his head with his hat.
"You have called me your sister," said Madame, "and I am in my own apartments."
"It matters not," said the youthful monarch, ashamed at having been hurried away by his anger; "neither you, nor any one else in this kingdom, can assert a right to withhold an explanation in my presence."