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  .., 2026.



Alexandre Dumas  

Countess de Monsoreau   



Part One  



I Wedding of Saint-Luc I  -

On the last Sunday of Carnival 1578, after the public festivities, when the noisy daytime merriment was dying down on the streets of Paris, a magnificent celebration began in the luxurious palace that had just been built on the banks of the Seine, almost opposite the Louvre, for the illustrious family of Montmorency, who, having become related to the royal house, were not inferior in their way of life to the princes.     1578 ,   ,        ,   ,      ,   ,    , ,    ,      ,   . This family celebration, which followed the public amusements, was arranged on the occasion of the marriage of Fran?ois d'Epinay de Saint-Luc, confidant and favorite of King Henry III, with Jeanne de Coss-Brissac, daughter of de Coss-Brissac.   ,    ,         -,      III,    -,   -.

The wedding dinner was given in the Louvre, and the king, who had consented to the marriage with the greatest reluctance, appeared at the table with a gloomy expression, completely unbecoming for such an occasion.      ,  ,        ,       ,     . And the king's attire was appropriate: Henry was dressed in a dark brown suit, the same one in which Clouet depicted him in the painting depicting the wedding of Joyeuse.      :     - ,  ,       ,   . At the sight of this sullen majesty, this king, resembling his own ghost, the guests were frozen with fear; the heart of the young bride was especially painful, as the king looked at her with obvious disapproval.     ,  ,    ,    ;       ,       .

However, the king's frowning brows in the midst of the wedding feast seemed to surprise no one; everyone knew that the reason lay in one of those palace secrets that are best avoided, like underwater reefs, a collision with which threatens inevitable shipwreck.        , ,      ;  ,         ,   ,   ,      .

The king had barely waited for the dinner to end before he jumped up abruptly, and all the guests, willy-nilly, were forced to follow his example; even those who had whispered their desire to remain at the banquet table rose.    ,   ,    -    ;   ,        .

Then Saint-Luc, looking long into his wife's eyes, as if wishing to draw courage from them, approached his master.  -,      ,      ,    .

Sire, he said, would Your Majesty be so kind as to listen to the violins this evening and grace with your presence the ball which I wish to give in your honor at the Palace of Montmorency?  ,   ,               ,         ?

Henry III turned to the newlywed with a mixture of anger and annoyance, but Saint-Luc bowed so low before him, his face was so humble, and his voice was so pleading, that the king softened.  III         ,  -     ,       ,      ,   .

Very well, sir, he replied, we will come, although you do not at all deserve such proof of our favor.  , ,   ,   ,         .

Then the former Mademoiselle de Brissac, now Madame de Saint-Luc, respectfully thanked the king, but Henry turned away without deigning to answer her.     ,    -,   ,   ,    .

What offense have you committed against the king, Monsieur de Saint-Luc?      ,   -? Jeanne asked her husband.       .

My dear, I will tell you everything later, when this storm cloud clears.   ,     ,     .

- Will it dissipate?    ?

It must, answered Saint-Luc.  ,   -.

The newlywed had not yet become accustomed to the position of a lawful wife and did not dare to insist; she hid her curiosity in the deep recesses of her heart and promised herself to continue the conversation at another, more favorable moment, when she could dictate her conditions to Saint-Luc without fear that he would reject them.            ;               ,   ,       -,  ,    .

So, on the evening when the story we are about to tell our readers begins, the arrival of Henry III was awaited at the Palace of Montmorency. ,   ,   ,      ,       III. But eleven o'clock had already struck, and the king was still not there.     ,      .

Saint-Luc invited to the ball all who were counted among his friends or the friends of the king. -    ,        . In addition, he sent out invitations to the princes and the favorites of the princes, beginning with the confidants of our old acquaintance, the Duke of Alen?on, whom the accession of Henry III to the royal throne made Duke of Anjou.  ,       ,      ,  ,       III   . But the Duke did not consider it necessary to appear at the wedding dinner in the Louvre and, in all likelihood, did not intend to attend the wedding ball at the Palace of Montmorency.            ,   ,         .

The King of Navarre and his wife were not in Paris: they, as readers of our previous novel know, fled to Barn and there led the Huguenot troops, who offered open resistance to the king.         : ,      ,         ,    .

The Duke of Anjou, as was his usual custom, was also among the discontented, but his discontent was hidden and unnoticeable; the Duke invariably tried to keep to the back of the line, pushing forward those nobles from his entourage who had not been sobered by the terrible fate of La Mole and Coconnas, whose execution, undoubtedly, is still fresh in the memory of our readers.  ,    ,    ,       ;       ,       ,         ,  , ,     .

It goes without saying that the Duke's supporters and the King's supporters were in a state of bad peace: at least two or three times a month duels broke out between them, and only in the rarest of cases did the matter go without anyone being killed or, at least, seriously wounded.   ,          :   -       ,          ,   ,  .

As for Catherine de Medici, the queen mother's most cherished wish had been fulfilled: her beloved son had attained the throne she had so long dreamed of for him, or rather, for herself; now she reigned, hiding behind his name, showing with her whole appearance and behavior that in this mortal world she was occupied only with worries about her health and that nothing else troubled her.    ,     -       ,       ,   ,   ;   ,   ,      ,                 .

Saint-Luc, alarmed by the ominous absence of the king and the princes, tried to reassure his father-in-law, who was deeply distressed. -,         ,    ,      . Convinced, like the entire court, that King Henry and Saint-Luc were closely connected by friendly ties, the marshal hoped to become related to the source of good deeds, and - lo and behold! , , ,   ,     -    ,      ,     ! - everything turned out the opposite: his daughter married the walking embodiment of the king's disfavor.    :         . Saint-Luc tried in every way to instill in the old man a confidence that he himself did not feel, and his friends - Maugiron, Schomberg and Quelus, dressed to the nines, unnaturally straight in their magnificent doublets, with enormous ruffs on which their heads rested as if on a platter, only added fuel to the fire with jokes and ironic condolences. -     ,    ,     ,   ,     ,      ,   ,    ,   ,         .

My God!   ! Our poor friend, Jacques de Levy, Count of Caelus, commiserated with Saint-Luc, you are in a bad way.   ,   -   ,   ,    . The King is angry with you for neglecting his advice, and the Duke of Anjou is angry with you for not showing due respect to his nose.      ,     ,      ,         .

Well, no, objected Saint-Luc.   ,   -. You are mistaken, Celus, the king did not come because he went on a pilgrimage to the Franciscan monastery in the Vincennes forest, and the Duke of Anjou did not come because he fell in love with some lady whom I, as luck would have it, did not invite.   , ,    ,          ,     ,    - ,  ,   ,  .

Go on, replied Maugiron.  ,   . Did you see the face the king made at dinner?   ,      ? But a man who is thinking about whether to take up his staff and go on a pilgrimage sometimes has a benevolent, touched expression on his face.    ,  ,           ,     , . And what about the Duke of Anjou?    ? Even if some personal matters prevented him from coming, as you claim, where have his Angevins gone, where is even one of them?     -  ,   ,      ,      ? Look around  complete emptiness, even that braggart Bussy did not deign to show up.     ,       .

Ah, gentlemen, said Marshal de Brissac, shaking his head sadly, how this all looks like disgrace!  , ,     ,   ,       ! My Lord God!   ! Is it possible that His Majesty is angry with our house, always so devoted to the crown?       ,    ?

And the old courtier raised his hands mournfully to heaven.       .

The young men looked at Saint-Luc, bursting into laughter; their cheerful mood did not calm the old marshal at all, but only deepened his despair.     -,  ;         ,     .

The young bride, thoughtful and focused, was tormented by the same question as her father: how could Saint-Luc have angered the king?  ,   ,    ,    :   -  ?

Saint-Luc himself, of course, knew what he was guilty of, which is why he was more worried than anyone else.  -, , ,    ,       . Suddenly, at one of the doors of the hall, the arrival of the king was announced.          .

Ah!  ! exclaimed the beaming marshal.     . Now I am no longer afraid of anything; to be completely happy, I only need to hear about the arrival of the Duke of Anjou.        ;            .

And I, muttered Saint-Luc, am more frightened by the kings presence than by his absence; he has come here for a reason, he probably wants to play a cruel joke on me, and the Duke of Anjou did not consider it necessary to appear for the same reason.   ,   -,     ,   ;    , ,      ,           .

These sad thoughts did not prevent Saint-Luc from rushing to meet his master, who had finally parted with his gloomy brown robe and entered the hall in the flutter of feathers, the shine of silks, and the sparkle of diamonds.      -    ,  -            ,  ,  .

But at the very moment when King Henry III appeared at one of the doors, another King Henry III appeared at the opposite door - a complete likeness of the first, dressed in exactly the same way, shod, combed, curled, whitened and rouged.     ,         III,        III    ,    , , , ,   . And the courtiers, who had rushed in a crowd to meet the first king, suddenly stopped, like a wave that met a bridge support on its way, and, swirling in a whirlpool, rushed back to the door through which the royal double entered.  ,      ,  ,  ,      , ,  ,    ,     .

Before Henry III's eyes, gaping mouths, darting eyes, and figures pirouetted on one leg flashed.    III   ,  , ,     .

What does all this mean, gentlemen?     , ? asked the king.    .

The answer was a loud burst of laughter.     .

The King, hot-tempered by nature, and at that moment particularly unwilling to be meek, frowned, but then Saint-Luc made his way through the crowd of guests towards him. ,   ,        , ,         -.

Sire, said Saint-Luc, there is Chicot, your jester.  ,   -,   ,  . He is dressed exactly like your majesty, and is now offering his hand to the ladies to kiss.     ,   ,       .

Henry III laughed.  III . Chicot enjoyed at the court of the last Valois a freedom equal to that which Triboulet had been granted thirty years before him at the court of Francis I, and that which would be granted forty years later to Langely at the court of King Louis XIII.       ,  ,             I, ,            XIII.

The fact is that Chicot was an unusual buffoon.   ,     . Before being called Chicot, he was called de Chicot.    ,    . A poor Gascon nobleman, he not only dared to enter into a love competition with the Duke of Mayenne, but was also not afraid to get the better of this prince of the blood, for which the Duke, as they said, inflicted reprisals on him, and Chicot was forced to seek refuge with Henry III.   ,           ,          ,   ,  ,    ,        III. For the patronage shown to him by the successor of Charles IX, he repaid by telling the king the truth, no matter how bitter it was.  ,     IX,   ,    ,      .

Listen, Master Chicot, said Henry, two kings at one ball is too great an honor for the host.  ,  ,   ,            .

If thats the case, then let me play the role of the king as best I can, and you try to portray the Duke of Anjou.   ,      ,  ,      . Perhaps they will actually take you for him, and you will hear something interesting or even learn, if not what your brother is planning, then at least what he is doing now. ,        ,    -    ,   ,    ,    ,    .

And indeed, said the king with obvious displeasure, my brother, the Duke of Anjou, is absent.    ,      ,   ,  , .

- All the more reason for you to replace him.       . It is decided - I will be Henry, and you will be Fran?ois, I will reign, and you will dance, I will show off the whole range of antics befitting royal majesty, and you will have a little fun, poor king.     ,    ,   ,    ,     ,   ,    ,  .

The king's gaze fell on Saint-Luc.     -.

Youre right, Chico.   , . Ill take up dancing, he said.   ,   .

How wrong I was to fear the kings wrath, thought Marshal de Brissac.   ,   ,     . Quite the contrary, the king is in excellent spirits.    ,     .

And he bustled about, showering compliments on all the guests indiscriminately, left and right, and most importantly, not forgetting to praise himself for having managed to find a husband for his daughter, so generously showered with the favors of His Majesty.   ,      ,   ,  ,         ,      ,      .

Meanwhile, Saint-Luc approached his wife.   -   . Jeanne de Brissac was not a striking beauty, but she had charming black eyes, snow-white teeth, an amazing complexion, that is, everything that is collectively called a charming appearance.       ,      ,  ,   ,    ,       .

Sir, she turned to her husband, absorbed in the same thought, explain to me what the king wants from me?  ,     ,     ,   ,     ? Since he has been here, he has not stopped smiling at me.      ,     .

But when we were returning from dinner, you said something completely different, dear Zhanna.  ,     ,    ,  . Then his gaze frightened you.     .

His Majesty was in a bad mood then, said the young woman, but now        ,    ,    

Its even worse now, interrupted Saint-Luc.    ,    -. The King laughs without moving his lips.       . I would rather see his teeth.      . Jeanne, my poor thing, the King has prepared some vile surprise for us. ,  ,     -  . Oh, dont look at me so tenderly, I beg you, turn your back on me instead! ,      ,  ,     ! Look, Mogiron is approaching us at the right moment. ,      . Keep him close to you, caress him, caress him.    , ,  .

You know, sir, Jeanne smiled, you are giving me rather dubious advice, and if I follow it exactly, they might think  , ,   ,       , ,      ,  

Ah, sighed Saint-Luc, well, let them think about it.  ,   -,     . It would be simply wonderful if they thought about it.   ,  .

And, leaving his wife in complete confusion, he went to please Chicot, who was enthusiastically puffing himself up, pretending to be a king, and with his grimaces caused general merriment. ,     ,    ,   ,  ,      .

Meanwhile, Henry, taking advantage of the freedom granted him from the royal majesty, danced, but did not lose sight of Saint-Luc: now he called him to him and shared a witticism that had occurred to him, and each time, regardless of whether it was successful or not, the witticism caused the newlywed to burst into a fit of loud laughter; now he treated him to candied almonds and glazed fruits from his bonbonniere, and Saint-Luc invariably found them excellent.   ,       , ,        -:           ,   ,   ,    ,       ;           ,  -    . As soon as Saint-Luc left the hall where the king was for a moment, even with the intention of greeting the guests in other halls, Henry immediately dispatched one of his relatives or courtiers after him, and the newlywed, beaming with smiles, returned to his master, and the king, seeing his favorite, found himself in an excellent mood.  -      ,   ,         ,             ,        ,  ,   ,    .

Suddenly, a noise so loud that it could not be drowned out by the general confusion of sounds reached the royal ears.       ,        .

- Hey!  ! - said Henry.    . - I think that's Chicot's voice.   ,   . Do you hear, Saint-Luc? , -? The King is angry.   .

Yes, sir, replied Saint-Luc, without pretending to understand the hint contained in these words, it seems that he has not got along with someone.  , ,   -,   ,   ,    ,  ,    -  .

Go and find out what happened there, the king ordered, and report to me immediately.   ,   ,   ,     .

Saint-Luc went to carry out the order. -   .

And indeed, Chicot shouted loudly, imitating the king by pronouncing the words through his nose:    ,   ,       :

 I have issued a heap of decrees against extravagance; if they are not enough, I will issue new ones and will multiply them and multiply them until they have their effect.       ;   ,         ,      . If they are not good enough, let there at least be many of them.    ,  ,   ,  . By the horns of Beelzebub, my cousin, six pages, Monsieur de Bussy, is too much.   ,  ,  ,   ,   .

And Chicot puffed out his cheeks, spread his legs wide and put his hands on his hips, achieving a complete resemblance to the king.    ,     ,     .

What is he chattering about Bussy?       ? the king asked, frowning.   ,  .

By this time Saint-Luc had returned and was about to reply, but the crowd parted and revealed six pages, dressed in doublets of gold brocade and hung with necklaces; on the breast of each page shone the coat of arms of his master, embroidered with precious stones, in all the colors of the rainbow.    -    ,          ,         ;            ,   . Behind the pages came a handsome young man; he carried his proud head high and, with a contemptuous upward curling of his upper lip, cast haughty glances around.      ;       ,    ,     . His severe robe of black velvet was in striking contrast to the rich attire of his pages.             .

- Bussy!  ! - voices rang out.    . - Bussy d'Amboise!    !

And the crowd, which had rushed to meet the new arrival, whose appearance had caused such a commotion in the hall, parted to allow him passage.  ,    ,       , ,   .

Mogiron, Schomberg and Quelus surrounded the king, as if wishing to protect him from danger. ,       ,      .

Ah, so thats how it is, the servant is here, but the master is nowhere to be seen, said Maugiron, alluding to the unexpected appearance of Bussy and the absence of the Duke of Anjou, to whose retinue he belonged.  ,  ,  ,   -  ,   ,         ,     .

Lets wait, remarked Kelus, the servants own servants go before him, and the main master will perhaps appear after the master of the first six servants.  ,   ,       ,   ,  ,      .

Look here, Saint-Luc, intervened Schomberg, the youngest and therefore the most daring of King Henrys minions.  -, -,   ,  ,        . It seems that Monsieur de Bussy is not very respectful towards you.   ,     -     . Look, he is wearing a black doublet.     . What the hell!  ! Is this an outfit for a wedding ball?      ?

No, Kelus remarked, this is mourning for a funeral.  ,   ,     .

Is this his funeral, and is he not wearing mourning for himself?                ? muttered Henry.    .

And yet, Saint-Luc, said Maugiron, the Duke of Anjou did not follow Bussy.     , -,   ,        . Have you really fallen into disgrace here too?       ?

This meaningful and then pierced the newlywed to the very heart.         .

Well, why, exactly, is he obliged to appear after Bussy?    , ,      ?  Quelus picked up.    .  Have you really forgotten: when His Majesty did the honor of Monsieur de Bussy and asked him whether he would like to belong to the kings people, Bussy replied that, already belonging to the house of Clermont, he did not feel the need to belong to anyone else and was quite content with the opportunity to be his own master, for he was sure that in his own person he would find the best master in the world.     :              ,        ,   , ,     ,      -         ,  ,          .

The king frowned and bit his mustache.      .

And, despite this, said Maugiron, it seems to me that Bussy nevertheless entered the retinue of the Duke of Anjou.  ,   ,   ,    ,        .

So what, Kelus retorted phlegmatically, it means he considered that the Duke was more powerful than our king.     ,    ,  ,  ,     .

This remark deeply hurt Henry, who had hated the Duke of Anjou all his life in a brotherly way.       ,     -   . Therefore, although the king did not utter a word, everyone noticed that he turned pale. ,      ,  ,   .

Come on, gentlemen, Saint-Luc, trembling with excitement, tried to calm the flaring passions, spare my guests at least a little.  -, ,         -,      . Dont ruin my wedding day.     .

This plea seemed to turn Henry's thoughts in another direction.  , -,      .

Indeed, let us not spoil Saint-Lucs wedding day, gentlemen, he said, twirling his moustache with a sly look that did not escape the poor newlywed.    ,    -   , ,   ,     ,      .

So what happens?     ? exclaimed Schomberg.    . Is Bussy now in alliance with the Brissacs?        ?

What made you think that?      ? asked Mogiron.    .

 Because Saint-Luc stands by him like a mountain.   ,  -    . Damn it!  ! In this despicable world, everyone thinks only of themselves.         . I wont lie when I say that here we only protect our relatives, allies and friends.   , ,       ,   .

Gentlemen, Saint-Luc replied, Monsieur de Bussy is not my ally, not my friend, not my relative: he is my guest.  ,   -,       ,  ,  :   .

Hearing these words, the king cast an angry glance at the speaker.   ,      .

And besides, the unfortunate Saint-Luc, struck by the royal gaze, hastened to correct his mistake, I have no intention of defending him at all.  ,  ,       -,   ,       .

Bussy, preceded by six pages, approached the king with dignity, intending to greet him, but then Chicot, unable to bear it, shouted: ,   ,     ,   ,   ,  , :

- Hey, you!  , ! Bussy! ! Bussy d'Amboise!  ! Louis de Clermont!   ! Count de Bussy!   ! You, apparently, won't be heard from until you list all your titles. , ,  ,      . Can't you see where the real Henry is, can't you tell the king from the fool?    ,   ,       ? The one you're striding towards so importantly is Chicot, my fool, my jester. ,      ,   ,  ,  . Sometimes he does such daring foolishness that I die laughing.      ,     .

However, Bussy continued on his way calmly and, having reached Henry, was about to bow before him, but then the king said:       ,   ,        ,    :

- Don't you hear, Mr. de Bussy?     ,   ? You are being called.  .

And to the loud laughter of the minions, he turned his back to the young man.          .

Bussy blushed with anger, but immediately pulled himself together.    ,       . He pretended to take the king's words seriously, and, as if not hearing the jokes of Quelus, Schomberg and Maugiron and not seeing their insolent grins, he turned to Chicot:   ,     , ,       ,        ,   :

- Oh, forgive me, sir!  , , ! Some kings are so similar to jesters that it is very easy to make a mistake.      ,    . I hope you will forgive me for mistaking your jester for a king.  ,     ,       .

What is it?   ? Henry said, turning to Bussy.    ,   . What did he say?     ?

Nothing, sir, Saint-Luc hastened to respond, to whom, apparently, Heaven had destined to be a peacemaker all evening, nothing, absolutely nothing.  , ,    -, , -,       ,  ,   .

No, Master Bussy, said Chicot, rising on his toes and puffing out his cheeks, as the king did when he wanted to give himself a majestic appearance, your behavior is inexcusable.  ,  ,   ,      ,    ,     ,    .

Please forgive me, sir, Bussy humbly begged, I was lost in thought.    , ,    ,   .

- About what?   ? About your pages, sir, I suppose? ,   , ? - Chicot asked irritably.     . - You will ruin yourself on these boys, and, damn it, you are clearly encroaching on our royal prerogatives.        , ,  ,       .

But how?    ? Bussy inquired respectfully; he understood that by allowing the jester to take his place, the king had put himself in a ridiculous position.     ;  , ,     ,      . I beg your Majesty to explain, and if I have indeed made a mistake, well, I confess it with all humility.      ,      ,   ,       .

Dress up all the rabble in gold brocade, Chicot pointed his finger at the pages, and you, you, a nobleman, a colonel, a scion of the Clermonts, almost a prince, finally, you appear at the ball in simple black velvet.       ,      ,   , , , ,  ,  , ,        .

Sire, Bussy said loudly, turning to the kings minions, I do this because even in our time, all kinds of rabble dress up like princes, and good taste requires princes to distinguish themselves by dressing like all kinds of rabble.  ,    ,    ,     ,        ,  ,     ,    , ,   .

And he returned to the young minions, drowning in the glitter of jewels, a grin no less contemptuous than those with which they had awarded him a minute ago.     ,    ,    ,  ,      .

Henry looked at his favorites, pale with rage: it seemed that if he only said the word, they would rush at Bussy.     ,   : ,    ,     . Celus, who was more angry than the others with Bussy and would have fought him long ago if the king had not forbidden him, put his hand on the hilt of his sword. ,             ,     ,     .

Are you hinting at me and my people?           ? exclaimed Chicot.    .

Having usurped the king's place, he uttered the words that befitted Henry.   ,    ,    . But the jester puffed himself up so dramatically and was so ridiculous that half the hall burst into laughter.           ,     . The other half remained silent for a very simple reason: those who laughed laughed at them.       : ,  ,   .

Three of Bussy's friends, sensing a skirmish, rallied around him.   ,   ,   . They were Charles Balzac d'Antragues - better known as Antragues, Fran?ois d'Audy, Viscount de Ribeyrac, and Livarot.           ,  ,   ,  .

Seeing such preparations for hostile action, Saint-Luc guessed that Bussy had come on the Duke's orders to cause a scandal or to challenge someone.      , - ,             - . At this thought, Saint-Luc shuddered; he felt himself caught between two powerful and angry opponents who had chosen his home as a battlefield.   - ,           ,     .

The unfortunate newlywed hurried to Celus, whose excited appearance was obvious to everyone, put his hand on his fingers, which were clutching the hilt of his sword, and began to admonish him:     ,       ,     ,   ,    :

- For God's sake, my friend, calm down.   , , . Wait, our time will come. ,    .

- Damn it!  ! Calm down yourself, if you can!  ,  ! - shouted Celus.    . - After all, the slap of this insolent man hurt you no less than me.          ,  . He who insults one of us insults us all, and he who insults us all insults the king.     ,    ,        .

Kelus, Kelus, Saint-Luc persisted, think of the Duke of Anjou, he is the one standing behind Bussy.  , ,    -,     ,      . True, he is not here, but we must be even more on our guard; he is invisible, but that makes him all the more dangerous. ,   ,       ,  ,    . I hope you will not offend me by suspecting that it is the servant, not the master, that I am afraid of? ,     ,    ,   ?

- The devil!  ! Who could be afraid of the people of the French king?        ? If we are exposed to danger while fighting for the king, then the king will be able to protect us.    ,   ,     .

You, yes, but not me, Saint-Luc said plaintively.    ,   ,    -.

- Oh, may you be damned!  ,   ! And what the hell did you think of getting married for?!      ?! After all, you know how jealous the king is of his friends.   ,     .

Okay, thought Saint-Luc, since everyone thinks only of themselves, then lets not forget about ourselves either. ,   -,        ,        . I want to live peacefully for at least the first two weeks after the wedding, and for that I need to appease the Duke of Anjou.           ,        .

With these thoughts he left Celus and went to Bussy.          .

Bussy stood with his head held high and looked around at those present.          . He was completely absorbed in listening, hoping to catch some insolence directed at him in response to the insults they hurled at him.     ,         -    . But no one looked at him, everyone maintained a stubborn silence: some were afraid of incurring the king's disapproval, others the disapproval of Bussy.      ,    :     ,    .

The latter, seeing Saint-Luc approaching him, decided that he had finally achieved his goal. ,     -, ,  -  .

Sir, he said to the owner of the house, it seems that you wish to talk with me, and I probably owe this honor to the words I have just spoken?  ,      ,  -,     , , ,      ,    ?

The words you just uttered?  ,     ? Saint-Luc asked with the most ingenuous air.        -. And what, in fact, did you say?    , ,  ? I heard nothing, I assure you.    ,  . I simply saw you and was glad that I could indulge myself in greeting such an illustrious guest and thanking him for the honor he has shown my house.      ,              ,   .

Bussy was an extraordinary man in every respect: bold to the point of recklessness, but at the same time educated, witty, and well-bred.       :   ,       ,    . Knowing Saint-Luc's undoubted courage, he realized that the duty of hospitality had prevailed over the refined scrupulousness of a courtier.    -,  ,           . To anyone else, Bussy would not have failed to repeat the phrase he had just said, that is, to challenge him to his face, but, disarmed by Saint-Luc's friendliness, he made him a polite bow and uttered a few pleasantries.             ,      , ,   -,         .




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