Would nothing else do for you but to
die in my chamber? Begone!"
I took this as a hint to clear the room, not only of La Trape
himself but of all; and presently only I and Du Laurens remained
with the King. It then appeared that there was still a mystery,
and one which it behoved us to clear up; inasmuch as Du Laurens
took the cat's death very seriously, insisting that it had died
of poison administered in a most sinister fashion, and one that
could not fail to recall to our minds the Borgian popes. It
needed no more than this to direct my suspicions to the
Florentines who swarmed about the Queen, and against whom the
King had let drop so many threats. But the indisposition which
excitement had for a time kept at bay began to return upon me;
and I was presently glad to drop the subject; and retire to my
own apartments, leaving the King to dress.
Consequently, I was not with him when the strange discovery which
followed was made. In the ordinary course of dressing, one of
the servants going to the fire-place to throw away a piece of
waste linen, thought that he heard a rat stir among the boughs.
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