"Alone?"
"Yes, alone."
"Go then, Penelophon," said Mlle de Tricotrin; "but come back and talk to me before I dress."
"It is a pretty wench the King gave you," said the Marquis, as the beggar-maid left the room. "I doubt if she helps much when he sees you together."
"But I am very fond of her, sir!"
"That is what I fancy is the case with him."
"No, that is impossible. A man could never be taken with a child like her."
"You must remember, my dear," said the Marquis, "they have been playing hero and heroine together in a very romantic drama? You know?"
"Perfectly, sir; Penelophon has told me."
"And yet you do not believe a man may be infatuated with her?"