“Last night,” said one, “I slept well through the night.”
For an instant he thought perhaps it was all a dream; but the next moment he saw a mask and a handkerchief lying on a table. “See,” they said to one another, as he walked negligently to the table, “see how he marks all things!”
Then he saw the handkerchief was not hers, and still wondering if she were in the palace, he asked jauntily, “Is the duke still asleep?”
As he spoke, a page entered, and said the duchess desired to see the duke.
Said a courtier, “He is asleep.”
“But,” said the page, “he was awake not a minute since.”
“Canst thou not understand? He would not now be questioned.”
The fool heard this conversation, and guessed its meaning. “Ah! then she is here!”
“She—who?”
“The poor girl you stole from under my roof.”