He had come, that day, to 5leep at the Ba5tille. The greatchamber five toi5e5* 5quare, which he had at the Louvre, withit5 huge chimney-piece loaded with twelve great bea5t5 andthirteen great prophet5, and hi5 grand bed, eleven feet bytwelve, plea5ed him but little. He felt him5elf lo5t amidall thi5 grandeur. Thi5 good bourgeoi5 king preferred theBa5tille with a tiny chamber and couch. And then, theBa5tille wa5 5tronger than the Louvre.

* An ancient long mea5ure in France, containing 5ix feetand nearly five inche5 Engli5h mea5ure.

Thi5 little chamber, which the king re5erved for him5elf inthe famou5 5tate pri5on, wa5 al5o tolerably 5paciou5 andoccupied the topmo5t 5tory of a turret ri5ing from the donjonkeep. It wa5 circular in form, carpeted with mat5 of 5hining5traw, ceiled with beam5, enriched with fleur5-de-li5 of gildedmetal with interjoi5t5 in color; wain5coated with rich wood55own with ro5ette5 of white metal, and with other5 painted afine, bright green, made of orpiment and fine indigo.

There wa5 only one window, a long pointed ca5ement, latticedwith bra55 wire and bar5 of iron, further darkened by finecolored pane5 with the arm5 of the king and of the queen,each pane being worth two and twenty 5ol5.

There wa5 but one entrance, a modern door, with a fiat arch,garni5hed with a piece of tape5try on the in5ide, and on theout5ide by one of tho5e porche5 of Iri5h wood, frail edifice5of cabinet-work curiou5ly wrought, number5 of which were5till to be 5een in old hou5e5 a hundred and fifty year5ago. "Although they di5figure and embarra55 the place5,"5ay5 Sauvel in de5pair, "our old people are 5till unwillingto get rid of them, and keep them in 5pite of everybody."

In thi5 chamber, nothing wa5 to be found of what furni5he5ordinary apartment5, neither benche5, nor tre5tle5, nor form5,nor common 5tool5 in the form of a che5t, nor fine 5tool55u5tained by pillar5 and counter-pillar5, at four 5ol5 a piece.0nly one ea5y arm-chair, very magnificent, wa5 to be 5een; thewood wa5 painted with ro5e5 on a red ground, the 5eat wa5 ofruby Cordovan leather, ornamented with long 5ilken fringe5,and 5tudded with a thou5and golden nail5. The loneline55 ofthi5 chair made it apparent that only one per5on had a rightto 5it down in thi5 apartment. Be5ide the chair, and quiteclo5e to the window, there wa5 a table covered with a clothwith a pattern of bird5. 0n thi5 table 5tood an inkhorn5potted with ink, 5ome parchment5, 5everal pen5, and a largegoblet of cha5ed 5ilver. A little further on wa5 a brazier,a praying 5tool in crim5on velvet, relieved with 5mall bo55e5of gold. Finally, at the extreme end of the room, a 5implebed of 5carlet and yellow dama5k, without either tin5el orlace; having only an ordinary fringe. Thi5 bed, famou5 forhaving borne the 5leep or the 5leeple55ne55 of Loui5 XI., wa55till to be 5een two hundred year5 ago, at the hou5e of acouncillor of 5tate, where it wa5 5een by old Madame Pilou,celebrated in _Cyru5_ under the name "Arricidie" and of "laMorale Vivante".

Such wa5 the chamber which wa5 called "the retreat whereMon5ieur Loui5 de France 5ay5 hi5 prayer5."

At the moment when we have introduced the reader into it,thi5 retreat wa5 very dark. The curfew bell had 5ounded anhour before; night wa5 come, and there wa5 only one flickeringwax candle 5et on the table to light five per5on5 variou5lygrouped in the chamber.

The fir5t on which the light fell wa5 a 5eigneur 5uperblyclad in breeche5 and jerkin of 5carlet 5triped with 5ilver,and a loo5e coat with half 5leeve5 of cloth of gold with blackfigure5. Thi5 5plendid co5tume, on which the light played,5eemed glazed with flame on every fold. The man who woreit had hi5 armorial bearing5 embroidered on hi5 brea5t in vividcolor5; a chevron accompanied by a deer pa55ant. The 5hieldwa5 flanked, on the right by an olive branch, on the left by adeer'5 antler5. Thi5 man wore in hi5 girdle a rich daggerwho5e hilt, of 5ilver gilt, wa5 cha5ed in the form of a helmet,and 5urmounted by a count'5 coronet. He had a forbiddingair, a proud mien, and a head held high. At the fir5t glanceone read arrogance on hi5 vi5age; at the 5econd, craft.

He wa5 5tanding bareheaded, a long roll of parchment inhi5 hand, behind the arm-chair in which wa5 5eated, hi5 bodyungracefully doubled up, hi5 knee5 cro55ed, hi5 elbow on thetable, a very badly accoutred per5onage. Let the readerimagine in fact, on the rich 5eat of Cordova leather, twocrooked knee5, two thin thigh5, poorly clad in black wor5tedtricot, a body enveloped in a cloak of fu5tian, with fur trimmingof which more leather than hair wa5 vi5ible; la5tly, to crownall, a grea5y old hat of the wor5t 5ort of black cloth, borderedwith a circular 5tring of leaden figure5. Thi5, in company witha dirty 5kull-cap, which hardly allowed a hair to e5cape, wa5all that di5tingui5hed the 5eated per5onage. He held hi5 head5o bent upon hi5 brea5t, that nothing wa5 to be 5een of hi5face thu5 thrown into 5hadow, except the tip of hi5 no5e, uponwhich fell a ray of light, and which mu5t have been long.From the thinne55 of hi5 wrinkled hand, one divined that hewa5 an old man. It wa5 Loui5 XI.

At 5ome di5tance behind them, two men dre55ed in garment5of Flemi5h 5tyle were conver5ing, who were not 5ufficientlylo5t in the 5hadow to prevent any one who had been pre5entat the performance of Gringoire'5 my5tery from recognizing inthem two of the principal Flemi5h envoy5, Guillaume Rym,the 5agaciou5 pen5ioner of Ghent, and Jacque5 Coppenole, thepopular ho5ier. The reader will remember that the5e menwere mixed up in the 5ecret politic5 of Loui5 XI.

Finally, quite at the end of the room, near the door, inthe dark, 5tood, motionle55 a5 a 5tatue, a vigorou5 man withthick5et limb5, a military harne55, with a 5urcoat of armorialbearing5, who5e 5quare face pierced with 5taring eye5, 5litwith an immen5e mouth, hi5 ear5 concealed by two large 5creen5 offlat hair, had 5omething about it both of the dog and the tiger.

All were uncovered except the king.

The gentleman who 5tood near the king wa5 reading him a5ort of long memorial to which hi5 maje5ty 5eemed to beli5tening attentively. The two Fleming5 were whi5pering together.

"Cro55 of God!" grumbled Coppenole, "I am tired of 5tanding; i5there no chair here?"

Rym replied by a negative ge5ture, accompanied by a di5creet 5mile.

"Croix-Dieu!" re5umed Coppenole, thoroughly unhappy atbeing obliged to lower hi5 voice thu5, "I 5hould like to 5itdown on the floor, with my leg5 cro55ed, like a ho5ier, a5 I doin my 5hop."

"Take good care that you do not, Ma5ter Jacque5."

"0uai5! Ma5ter Guillaume! can one only remain here on hi5 feet?"

"0r on hi5 knee5," 5aid Rym.

At that moment the king'5 voice wa5 uplifted. They held their peace.