"I must have that first," said I.
Tom began to pace the floor again.
"It is nothing at all, Cousin. It is that His Majesty spoke very kindly to my daughter upon her first coming to Court."
"I am glad I did not know that," I said, "or I might have said more to him."
"Well; but what did you say?"
Now I was in half a dozen minds as to what I should tell him. He knew for certain nothing at all of my comings and goings and of what I did for the King; yet I thought that he must have guessed a good deal. I judged it safer, therefore, to tell him a little, to stop his month; but not too much.
"Why," I said very carefully, "I have been of a little service to the King; and His Majesty was good enough to ask me if there were any little favour he could do me. So that is what I asked him."
Tom stopped in his pacing again: and it was then that I entreated him to sit down and talk like a Christian. He did so, without a word.
"In France, I suppose?" he said immediately after.
"Why, yes."