"  When  a  woman  loves,  is  she  faithful  to  any  one  but  her
lover  ?     You  must  have  given  her  some  philter,  E,ene."

"  I  swear  I  have  not,  madame."

"  Well,  well ;  we  '11  say  no  more  about  it.  Show  me  this  new
opiate  you  spoke  of,  that  is  to  make  her  lips  fresher  and  rosier
than  ever."

Eene  approached  a  shelf  and  showed  Catharine  six  small
boxes  of  the  same  shape,  i.e.,  round  silver  boxes  ranged  side
by  side.
"  This  is  the  only  philter  she  ever  asked  me  for,"  observed
Eene ;  "  it  is  true,  as  your  majesty  says,  I  composed  it
expressly  for  her,  for  her  lips  are  so  tender  that  the  sun  and
wind  affect  them  equally."

Catharine  opened  one  of  the  boxes  ;  it  contained  a  most  fas-
cinating carmine  paste.
210  MARGUERITE    BE    VALOIS.
"  Give  me  some  paste  for  my  hands,  E-ene/'  said  she  ;  "  I
will  take  it  away  with  me."

Rene  took  the  taper,  and  went  to  seek,  in  a  private  com-
partment, what  the  queen  asked  for.  As  he  turned,  he  fancied
that  he  saw  the  queen  quickly  conceal  a  box  under  her  mantle ;
he  was,  however,  too  familiar  with  these  little  thefts  of  the
queen  mother  to  have  the  rudeness  to  seem  to  perceive  the
movement ;  so  wrapping  the  cosmetic  she  demanded  in  a  paper
bag,  ornamented  with  fleurs-de-lis  :

"  Here  it  is,  madanie,"  he  said.
"  Thanks,  Eene,"  returned  the  queen  ;  then,  after  a  moment's
sileuce  :  "  Do  not  give  Madame  de  Sauve  that  paste  for  a  week
or  ten  days  ;  I  wish  to  make  the  first  trial  of  it  myself."

And  she  prepared  to  go.
