"Youth is very rash," he said sententiously.
"Well, go on," said the king.
"At all events," continued Manicamp, not venturing to be too precipitate and hasty, and letting his words fall very slowly, one by one, "at all events, sire, poor De Guiche went hunting--quite alone." "Quite alone, indeed! What a sportsman.

And is not M.de Guiche aware that the wild boar always stands at bay ?" "That is the very thing that really happened, sire." "He had some idea, then, of the beast being there ?" "Yes, sire, some peasants had seen it among their potatoes." "And what kind of animal was it ?" "A short, thick beast." "You may as well tell me, monsieur, that Guiche had some idea of committing suicide, for I have seen him hunt, and he is an active and vigorous hunter.

Whenever he fires at an animal brought to bay and held in check by the dogs, he takes every possible precaution, and yet he fires with a carbine, and on this occasion he seems to have faced the boar with pistols only." Manicamp started.
"A costly pair of pistols, excellent weapons to fight a duel with a man and not with a wild boar.

What absurdity." "There are some things, sire, which are difficult of explanation." "You are quite right, and the event which we are now discussing is one of those things.

Go on." During the recital, Saint-Aignan, who had probably made a sign to Manicamp to be careful what he was about, found that the king's glance was constantly fixed upon himself, so that it was utterly impossible to communicate with Manicamp in any way.