首页 >出版文学> The Man in the Iron Mask>第18章
  ChapterXXIII:
  TheKing'sGratitude。
  Thetwomenwereonthepointofdartingtowardseachotherwhentheysuddenlyandabruptlystopped,asamutualrecognitiontookplace,andeachutteredacryofhorror。
  "Haveyoucometoassassinateme,monsieur?"saidtheking,whenherecognizedFouquet。
  "Thekinginthisstate!"murmuredtheminister。
  NothingcouldbemoreterribleindeedthantheappearanceoftheyoungprinceatthemomentFouquethadsurprisedhim;hisclotheswereintatters;hisshirt,openandtorntorags,wasstainedwithsweatandwiththebloodwhichstreamedfromhislaceratedbreastandarms。?Haggard,ghastlypale,hishairindisheveledmasses,LouisXIV。presentedthemostperfectpictureofdespair,distress,angerandfearcombinedthatcouldpossiblybeunitedinonefigure。?Fouquetwassotouched,soaffectedanddisturbedbyit,thatherantowardshimwithhisarmsstretchedoutandhiseyesfilledwithtears。?Louisheldupthemassivepieceofwoodofwhichhehadmadesuchafurioususe。
  "Sire,"
  saidFouquet,inavoicetremblingwithemotion,"doyounotrecognizethemostfaithfulofyourfriends?"
  "A
  friend—you!"repeatedLouis,gnashinghisteethinamannerwhichbetrayedhishateanddesireforspeedyvengeance。
  "Themostrespectfulofyourservants,"addedFouquet,throwinghimselfonhisknees。?Thekinglettherudeweaponfallfromhisgrasp。?Fouquetapproachedhim,kissedhisknees,andtookhiminhisarmswithinconceivabletenderness。
  "Myking,mychild,"hesaid,"howyoumusthavesuffered!"
  Louis,recalledtohimselfbythechangeofsituation,lookedathimself,andashamedofthedisorderedstateofhisapparel,ashamedofhisconduct,andashamedoftheairofpityandprotectionthatwasshowntowardshim,drewback。?Fouquetdidnotunderstandthismovement;hedidnotperceivethattheking'sfeelingofpridewouldneverforgivehimforhavingbeenawitnessofsuchanexhibitionofweakness。
  "Come,sire,"hesaid,"youarefree。"
  "Free?"
  repeatedtheking。?"Oh!yousetmeatliberty,then,afterhavingdaredtoliftupyourhandagainstme。"
  "Youdonotbelievethat!"exclaimedFouquet,indignantly;"youcannotbelievemetobeguiltyofsuchanact。"
  Andrapidly,warmlyeven,herelatedthewholeparticularsoftheintrigue,thedetailsofwhicharealreadyknowntothereader。?Whiletherecitalcontinued,Louissufferedthemosthorribleanguishofmind;andwhenitwasfinished,themagnitudeofthedangerhehadrunstruckhimfarmorethantheimportanceofthesecretrelativetohistwinbrother。
  "Monsieur,"
  hesaid,suddenlytoFouquet,"thisdoublebirthisafalsehood;itisimpossible—youcannothavebeenthedupeofit。"
  "Sire!"
  "Itisimpossible,Itellyou,thatthehonor,thevirtueofmymothercanbesuspected,andmyfirstministerhasnotyetdonejusticeonthecriminals!"
  "Reflect,sire,beforeyouarehurriedawaybyanger,"repliedFouquet。?"Thebirthofyourbrother—"
  "I
  haveonlyonebrother—andthatisMonsieur。?Youknowitaswellasmyself。?Thereisaplot,Itellyou,beginningwiththegovernoroftheBastile。"
  "Becareful,sire,forthismanhasbeendeceivedaseveryoneelsehasbytheprince'slikenesstoyourself。"
  "Likeness??Absurd!"
  "ThisMarchialimustbesingularlylikeyourmajesty,tobeabletodeceiveeveryone'seye,"Fouquetpersisted。
  "Ridiculous!"
  "Donotsayso,sire;
  thosewhohadpreparedeverythinginordertofaceanddeceiveyourministers,yourmother,yourofficersofstate,themembersofyourfamily,mustbequiteconfidentoftheresemblancebetweenyou。"
  "Butwherearethesepersons,then?"murmuredtheking。
  "AtVaux。"
  "AtVaux!andyousufferthemtoremainthere!"
  "Mymostinstantdutyappearedtometobeyourmajesty'srelease。?Ihaveaccomplishedthatduty;andnow,whateveryourmajestymaycommand,shallbedone。?Iawaityourorders。"
  Louisreflectedforafewmoments。
  "MusterallthetroopsinParis,"hesaid。
  "Allthenecessaryordersaregivenforthatpurpose,"repliedFouquet。
  "Youhavegivenorders!"exclaimedtheking。
  "Forthatpurpose,yes,sire;yourmajestywillbeattheheadoftenthousandmeninlessthananhour。"
  TheonlyreplythekingmadewastotakeholdofFouquet'shandwithsuchanexpressionoffeeling,thatitwasveryeasytoperceivehowstronglyhehad,untilthatremark,maintainedhissuspicionsoftheminister,notwithstandingthelatter'sintervention。
  "Andwiththesetroops,"hesaid,"weshallgoatonceandbesiegeinyourhousetherebelswhobythistimewillhaveestablishedandintrenchedthemselvestherein。"
  "I
  shouldbesurprisedifthatwerethecase,"repliedFouquet。
  "Why?"
  "Becausetheirchief—theverysouloftheenterprise—havingbeenunmaskedbyme,thewholeplanseemstometohavemiscarried。"
  "Youhaveunmaskedthisfalseprincealso?"
  "No,Ihavenotseenhim。"
  "Whomhaveyouseen,then?"
  "Theleaderoftheenterprise,notthatunhappyyoungman;thelatterismerelyaninstrument,destinedthroughhiswholelifetowretchedness,Iplainlyperceive。"
  "Mostcertainly。"
  "ItisM。l'Abb?d'Herblay,Ev阸uedeVannes";
  "Yourfriend?"
  "Hewasmyfriend,sire,"repliedFouquet,nobly。
  "Anunfortunatecircumstanceforyou,"saidtheking,inalessgeneroustoneofvoice。
  "Suchfriendships,sire,hadnothingdishonorableinthemsolongasIwasignorantofthecrime。"
  "Youshouldhaveforeseenit。"
  "IfIamguilty,Iplacemyselfinyourmajesty'shands。"
  "Ah!?MonsieurFouquet,itwasnotthatI
  meant,"returnedtheking,sorrytohaveshownthebitternessofhisthoughtinsuchamanner。?"Well!?Iassureyouthat,notwithstandingthemaskwithwhichthevillaincoveredhisface,Ihadsomethinglikeavaguesuspicionthathewastheveryman。?Butwiththischiefoftheenterprisetherewasamanofprodigiousstrength,theonewhomenacedmewithaforcealmostherculean;whatishe?"
  "ItmustbehisfriendtheBaronduVallon,formerlyoneofthemusketeers。"
  "ThefriendofD'Artagnan?thefriendoftheComtedelaF鑢e??Ah!"exclaimedtheking,ashepausedatthenameofthelatter,"wemustnotforgettheconnectionthatexistedbetweentheconspiratorsandM。deBragelonne。"
  "Sire,sire,donotgotoofar。?M。delaF鑢eisthemosthonorablemaninFrance。?BesatisfiedwiththosewhomIdeliveruptoyou。"
  "Withthosewhomyoudeliveruptome,yousay??Verygood,foryouwilldeliverupthosewhoareguiltytome。"
  "Whatdoesyourmajestyunderstandbythat?"inquiredFouquet。
  "I
  understand,"repliedtheking,"thatweshallsoonarriveatVauxwithalargebodyoftroops,thatwewilllayviolenthandsuponthatnestofvipers,andthatnotasoulshallescape。"
  "Yourmajestywillputthesementodeath!"criedFouquet。
  "Totheverymeanestofthem。"
  "Oh!
  sire。"
  "Letusunderstandoneanother,MonsieurFouquet,"saidtheking,haughtily。?"Wenolongerliveintimeswhenassassinationwastheonlyandthelastresourcekingsheldinreservationatextremity。?No,Heavenbepraised!?Ihaveparliamentswhositandjudgeinmyname,andIhavescaffoldsonwhichsupremeauthorityiscarriedout。"
  Fouquetturnedpale。?"Iwilltakethelibertyofobservingtoyourmajesty,thatanyproceedingsinstitutedrespectingthesematterswouldbringdownthegreatestscandaluponthedignityofthethrone。?TheaugustnameofAnneofAustriamustneverbeallowedtopassthelipsofthepeopleaccompaniedbyasmile。"
  "Justicemustbedone,however,monsieur。"
  "Good,sire;butroyalbloodmustnotbesheduponascaffold。"
  "Theroyalblood!youbelievethat!"criedthekingwithfuryinhisvoice,stampinghisfootontheground。?"Thisdoublebirthisaninvention;andinthatinvention,particularly,doIseeM。
  d'Herblay'scrime。?ItisthecrimeI
  wishtopunishratherthantheviolence,ortheinsult。"
  "Andpunishitwithdeath,sire?"
  "Withdeath;yes,monsieur,Ihavesaidit。"
  "Sire,"
  saidthesurintendant,withfirmness,asheraisedhisheadproudly,"yourmajestywilltakethelife,ifyouplease,ofyourbrotherPhilippeofFrance;
  thatconcernsyoualone,andyouwilldoubtlessconsultthequeen—motheruponthesubject。?Whatevershemaycommandwillbeperfectlycorrect。?Idonotwishtomixmyselfupinit,notevenforthehonorofyourcrown,butIhaveafavortoaskofyou,andIbegtosubmitittoyou。"
  "Speak,"
  saidtheking,innolittledegreeagitatedbyhisminister'slastwords。?"Whatdoyourequire?"
  "ThepardonofM。d'HerblayandofM。duVallon。"
  "Myassassins?"
  "Tworebels,sire,thatisall。"
  "Oh!?Iunderstand,then,youaskmetoforgiveyourfriends。"
  "Myfriends!"saidFouquet,deeplywounded。
  "Yourfriends,certainly;butthesafetyofthestaterequiresthatanexemplarypunishmentshouldbeinflictedontheguilty。"
  "IwillnotpermitmyselftoremindyourmajestythatIhavejustrestoredyoutoliberty,andhavesavedyourlife。"
  "Monsieur!"
  "IwillnotallowmyselftoremindyourmajestythathadM。d'Herblaywishedtocarryouthischaracterofanassassin,hecouldveryeasilyhaveassassinatedyourmajestythismorningintheforestofSenart,andallwouldhavebeenover。"?Thekingstarted。
  "A
  pistol—bulletthroughthehead,"pursuedFouquet,"andthedisfiguredfeaturesofLouisXIV。,whichnoonecouldhaverecognized,wouldbeM。
  d'Herblay'scompleteandentirejustification。"
  Thekingturnedpaleandgiddyatthebareideaofthedangerhehadescaped。
  "IfM。d'Herblay,"
  continuedFouquet,"hadbeenanassassin,hehadnooccasiontoinformmeofhisplaninordertosucceed。?Freedfromtherealking,itwouldhavebeenimpossibleinallfuturitytoguessthefalse。?AndiftheusurperhadbeenrecognizedbyAnneofAustria,hewouldstillhavebeen—herson。?Theusurper,asfarasMonsieurd'Herblay'sconsciencewasconcerned,wasstillakingofthebloodofLouisXIII。?Moreover,theconspirator,inthatcourse,wouldhavehadsecurity,secrecy,impunity。?Apistol—bulletwouldhaveprocuredhimallthat。?ForthesakeofHeaven,sire,grantmehisforgiveness。"
  Theking,insteadofbeingtouchedbythepicture,sofaithfullydrawninalldetails,ofAramis'sgenerosity,felthimselfmostpainfullyandcruellyhumiliated。?Hisunconquerablepriderevoltedattheideathatamanhadheldsuspendedattheendofhisfingerthethreadofhisroyallife。?EverywordthatfellfromFouquet'slips,andwhichhethoughtmostefficaciousinprocuringhisfriend'spardon,seemedtopouranotherdropofpoisonintothealreadyulceratedheartofLouisXIV。?Nothingcouldbendorsoftenhim。?AddressinghimselftoFouquet,hesaid,"Ireallydon'tknow,monsieur,whyyoushouldsolicitthepardonofthesemen。?Whatgoodisthereinaskingthatwhichcanbeobtainedwithoutsolicitation?"
  "Idonotunderstandyou,sire。"
  "Itisnotdifficult,either。?WhereamI
  now?"
  "IntheBastile,sire。"
  "Yes;inadungeon。?Iamlookeduponasamadman,amInot?"
  "Yes,sire。"
  "AndnooneisknownherebutMarchiali?"
  "Certainly。"
  "Well;
  changenothinginthepositionofaffairs。?LetthepoormadmanrotbetweentheslimywallsoftheBastile,andM。
  d'HerblayandM。duVallonwillstandinnoneedofmyforgiveness。?Theirnewkingwillabsolvethem。"
  "Yourmajestydoesmeagreatinjustice,sire;andyouarewrong,"repliedFouquet,dryly;"Iamnotchildenough,norisM。d'Herblaysillyenough,tohaveomittedtomakeallthesereflections;andifIhadwishedtomakeanewking,asyousay,IhadnooccasiontohavecomeheretoforceopenthegatesanddoorsoftheBastile,tofreeyoufromthisplace。?Thatwouldshowawantofevencommonsense。?Yourmajesty'smindisdisturbedbyanger;otherwiseyouwouldbefarfromoffending,groundlessly,theveryoneofyourservantswhohasrenderedyouthemostimportantserviceofall。"
  Louisperceivedthathehadgonetoofar;thatthegatesoftheBastilewerestillcloseduponhim,whilst,bydegrees,thefloodgatesweregraduallybeingopened,behindwhichthegenerous—heartedFouquethadrestrainedhisanger。?"Ididnotsaythattohumiliateyou,Heavenknows,monsieur,"hereplied。?"Onlyyouareaddressingyourselftomeinordertoobtainapardon,andIansweraccordingtomyconscience。?Andso,judgingbymyconscience,thecriminalswespeakofarenotworthyofconsiderationorforgiveness。"
  Fouquetwassilent。
  "WhatIdoisasgenerous,"addedtheking,"aswhatyouhavedone,forIaminyourpower。?Iwillevensayitismoregenerous,inasmuchasyouplacebeforemecertainconditionsuponwhichmyliberty,mylife,maydepend;andtorejectwhichistomakeasacrificeofboth。"
  "Iwaswrong,certainly,"repliedFouquet。?"Yes,—Ihadtheappearanceofextortingafavor;Iregretit,andentreatyourmajesty'sforgiveness。"
  "Andyouareforgiven,mydearMonsieurFouquet,"saidtheking,withasmile,whichrestoredthesereneexpressionofhisfeatures,whichsomanycircumstanceshadalteredsincetheprecedingevening。
  "Ihavemyownforgiveness,"repliedtheminister,withsomedegreeofpersistence;
  "butM。d'Herblay,andM。duVallon?"
  "Theywillneverobtaintheirs,aslongasIlive,"repliedtheinflexibleking。?"Domethekindnessnottospeakofitagain。"
  "Yourmajestyshallbeobeyed。"
  "Andyouwillbearmenoill—willforit?"
  "Oh!no,sire;forIanticipatedtheevent。"
  "Youhad'anticipated'thatIshouldrefusetoforgivethosegentlemen?"
  "Certainly;
  andallmymeasuresweretakeninconsequence。"
  "Whatdoyoumeantosay?"criedtheking,surprised。
  "M。
  d'Herblaycame,asmaybesaid,todeliverhimselfintomyhands。?M。d'Herblaylefttomethehappinessofsavingmykingandmycountry。?IcouldnotcondemnM。d'Herblaytodeath;norcouldI,ontheotherhand,exposehimtoyourmajesty'sjustifiablewrath;itwouldhavebeenjustthesameasifI
  hadkilledhimmyself。"
  "Well!andwhathaveyoudone?"
  "Sire,I
  gaveM。d'Herblaythebesthorsesinmystablesandfourhours'startoverallthoseyourmajestymight,probably,dispatchafterhim。"
  "Beitso!"murmuredtheking。?"Butstill,theworldiswideenoughandlargeenoughforthosewhomImaysendtoovertakeyourhorses,notwithstandingthe'fourhours'start'whichyouhavegiventoM。d'Herblay。"
  "Ingivinghimthesefourhours,sire,IknewIwasgivinghimhislife,andhewillsavehislife。"
  "Inwhatway?"
  "Afterhavinggallopedashardaspossible,withthefourhours'start,beforeyourmusketeers,hewillreachmych鈚eauofBelle—Isle,whereIhavegivenhimasafeasylum。"
  "Thatmaybe!?ButyouforgetthatyouhavemademeapresentofBelle—Isle。"
  "Butnotforyoutoarrestmyfriends。"
  "Youtakeitbackagain,then?"
  "Asfarasthatgoes—yes,sire。"
  "Mymusketeersshallcaptureit,andtheaffairwillbeatanend。"
  "Neitheryourmusketeers,noryourwholearmycouldtakeBelle—Isle,"saidFouquet,coldly。?"Belle—Isleisimpregnable。"
  Thekingbecameperfectlylivid;alightningflashseemedtodartfromhiseyes。?Fouquetfeltthathewaslost,butheasnotonetoshrinkwhenthevoiceofhonorspokeloudlywithinhim。?Heboretheking'swrathfulgaze;thelatterswallowedhisrage,andafterafewmoments'silence,said,"ArewegoingtoreturntoVaux?"
  "Iamatyourmajesty'sorders,"repliedFouquet,withalowbow;"butIthinkthatyourmajestycanhardlydispensewithchangingyourclothesprevioustoappearingbeforeyourcourt。"
  "WeshallpassbytheLouvre,"saidtheking。?"Come。"?Andtheylefttheprison,passingbeforeBaisemeaux,wholookedcompletelybewilderedashesawMarchialioncemoreleave;and,inhishelplessness,toreoutthemajorportionofhisfewremaininghairs。?Itwasperfectlytrue,however,thatFouquetwroteandgavehimanauthorityfortheprisoner'srelease,andthatthekingwrotebeneathit,"Seenandapproved,Louis";apieceofmadnessthatBaisemeaux,incapableofputtingtwoideastogether,acknowledgedbygivinghimselfaterribleblowontheforeheadwithhisownfist。
  ChapterXXIV:
  TheFalseKing。
  Inthemeantime,usurpedroyaltywasplayingoutitspartbravelyatVaux。?Philippegaveordersthatforhispetitleverthegrandesentr閑s,alreadypreparedtoappearbeforetheking,shouldbeintroduced。?HedeterminedtogivethisordernotwithstandingtheabsenceofM。d'Herblay,whodidnotreturn—
  ourreadersknowthereason。?Buttheprince,notbelievingthatabsencecouldbeprolonged,wished,asallrashspiritsdo,totryhisvalorandhisfortunefarfromallprotectionandinstruction。?Anotherreasonurgedhimtothis—AnneofAustriawasabouttoappear;theguiltymotherwasabouttostandinthepresenceofhersacrificedson。?Philippewasnotwilling,ifhehadaweakness,torenderthemanawitnessofitbeforewhomhewasboundthenceforthtodisplaysomuchstrength。?Philippeopenedhisfoldingdoors,andseveralpersonsenteredsilently。?Philippedidnotstirwhilsthisvaletsdechambredressedhim。?Hehadwatched,theeveningbefore,allthehabitsofhisbrother,andplayedthekinginsuchamannerastoawakennosuspicion。?Hewasthuscompletelydressedinhuntingcostumewhenhereceivedhisvisitors。?HisownmemoryandthenotesofAramisannouncedeverybodytohim,firstofallAnneofAustria,towhomMonsieurgavehishand,andthenMadamewithM。deSaint—Aignan。?Hesmiledatseeingthesecountenances,buttrembledonrecognizinghismother。?Thatstillsonobleandimposingfigure,ravagedbypain,pleadedinhisheartthecauseofthefamousqueenwhohadimmolatedachildtoreasonsofstate。?Hefoundhismotherstillhandsome。?HeknewthatLouisXIV。lovedher,andhepromisedhimselftoloveherlikewise,andnottoproveascourgetoheroldage。?Hecontemplatedhisbrotherwithatendernesseasilytobeunderstood。?Thelatterhadusurpednothing,hadcastnoshadesathwarthislife。?Aseparatetree,heallowedthestemtorisewithoutheedingitselevationormajesticlife。?Philippepromisedhimselftobeakindbrothertothisprince,whorequirednothingbutgoldtoministertohispleasures。?HebowedwithafriendlyairtoSaint—Aignan,whowasallreverencesandsmiles,andtremblingheldouthishandtoHenrietta,hissister—in—law,whosebeautystruckhim;buthesawintheeyesofthatprincessanexpressionofcoldnesswhichwouldfacilitate,ashethought,theirfuturerelations。
  "Howmuchmoreeasy,"thoughthe,"itwillbetobethebrotherofthatwomanthanhergallant,ifsheevincestowardsmeacoldnessthatmybrothercouldnothaveforher,butwhichisimposeduponmeasaduty。"?Theonlyvisithedreadedatthismomentwasthatofthequeen;hisheart—hismind—hadjustbeenshakenbysoviolentatrial,that,inspiteoftheirfirmtemperament,theywouldnot,perhaps,supportanothershock。?Happilythequeendidnotcome。?Thencommenced,onthepartofAnneofAustria,apoliticaldissertationuponthewelcomeM。
  FouquethadgiventothehouseofFrance。?Shemixeduphostilitieswithcomplimentsaddressedtotheking,andquestionsastohishealth,withlittlematernalflatteriesanddiplomaticartifices。
  "Well,myson,"saidshe,"areyouconvincedwithregardtoM。
  Fouquet?"
  "Saint—Aignan,"
  saidPhilippe,"havethegoodnesstogoandinquireafterthequeen。"
  Atthesewords,thefirstPhilippehadpronouncedaloud,theslightdifferencethattherewasbetweenhisvoiceandthatofthekingwassensibletomaternalears,andAnneofAustrialookedearnestlyatherson。?Saint—Aignanlefttheroom,andPhilippecontinued:
  "Madame,IdonotliketohearM。Fouquetill—spokenof,youknowIdonot—andyouhaveevenspokenwellofhimyourself。"
  "Thatistrue;thereforeIonlyquestionyouonthestateofyoursentimentswithrespecttohim。"
  "Sire,"
  saidHenrietta,"I,onmypart,havealwayslikedM。Fouquet。?Heisamanofgoodtaste,—asuperiorman。"
  "A
  superintendentwhoisneversordidorniggardly,"addedMonsieur;
  "andwhopaysingoldalltheordersIhaveonhim。"
  "Everyoneinthisthinkstoomuchofhimself,andnobodyforthestate,"saidtheoldqueen。?"M。Fouquet,itisafact,M。Fouquetisruiningthestate。"
  "Well,mother!"repliedPhilippe,inratheralowerkey,"doyoulikewiseconstituteyourselfthebucklerofM。Colbert?"
  "Howisthat?"repliedtheoldqueen,rathersurprised。
  "Why,intruth,"repliedPhilippe,"youspeakthatjustasyouroldfriendMadamedeChevreusewouldspeak。"
  "WhydoyoumentionMadamedeChevreusetome?"saidshe,"andwhatsortofhumorareyouinto—daytowardsme?"
  Philippecontinued:"IsnotMadamedeChevreusealwaysinleagueagainstsomebody??HasnotMadamedeChevreusebeentopayyouavisit,mother?"
  "Monsieur,youspeaktomenowinsuchamannerthatIcanalmostfancyIamlisteningtoyourfather。"
  "MyfatherdidnotlikeMadamedeChevreuse,andhadgoodreasonfornotlikingher,"saidtheprince。?"Formypart,Ilikehernobetterthanhedid,andifshethinkspropertocomehereassheformerlydid,tosowdivisionsandhatredsunderthepretextofbeggingmoney—why—"
  "Well!
  what?"saidAnneofAustria,proudly,herselfprovokingthestorm。
  "Well!"
  repliedtheyoungmanfirmly,"IwilldriveMadamedeChevreuseoutofmykingdom—andwithherallwhomeddlewithitssecretsandmysteries。"
  Hehadnotcalculatedtheeffectofthisterriblespeech,orperhapshewishedtojudgetheeffectofit,likethosewho,sufferingfromachronicpain,andseekingtobreakthemonotonyofthatsuffering,touchtheirwoundtoprocureasharperpang。?AnneofAustriawasnearlyfainting;hereyes,openbutmeaningless,ceasedtoseeforseveralseconds;shestretchedoutherarmstowardsherotherson,whosupportedandembracedherwithoutfearofirritatingtheking。
  "Sire,"
  murmuredshe,"youaretreatingyourmotherverycruelly。"
  "Inwhatrespect,madame?"repliedhe。?"IamonlyspeakingofMadamedeChevreuse;doesmymotherpreferMadamedeChevreusetothesecurityofthestateandofmyperson??Well,then,madame,ItellyouMadamedeChevreusehasreturnedtoFrancetoborrowmoney,andthatsheaddressedherselftoM。Fouquettosellhimacertainsecret。"
  "A
  certainsecret!"criedAnneofAustria。
  "Concerningpretendedrobberiesthatmonsieurlesurintendanthadcommitted,whichisfalse,"addedPhilippe。?"M。
  Fouquetrejectedherofferswithindignation,preferringtheesteemofthekingtocomplicitywithsuchintriguers。?ThenMadamedeChevreusesoldthesecrettoM。Colbert,andassheisinsatiable,andwasnotsatisfiedwithhavingextortedahundredthousandcrownsfromaservantofthestate,shehastakenastillbolderflight,insearchofsurersourcesofsupply。?Isthattrue,madame?"
  "Youknowall,sire,"saidthequeen,moreuneasythanirritated。
  "Now,"
  continuedPhilippe,"Ihavegoodreasontodislikethisfury,whocomestomycourttoplantheshameofsomeandtheruinofothers。?IfHeavenhassufferedcertaincrimestobecommitted,andhasconcealedthemintheshadowofitsclemency,IwillnotpermitMadamedeChevreusetocounteractthejustdesignsoffate。"
  Thelatterpartofthisspeechhadsoagitatedthequeen—mother,thathersonhadpityonher。?Hetookherhandandkissedittenderly;shedidnotfeelthatinthatkiss,giveninspiteofrepulsionandbitternessoftheheart,therewasapardonforeightyearsofsuffering。?Philippeallowedthesilenceofamomenttoswallowtheemotionsthathadjustdevelopedthemselves。?Then,withacheerfulsmile:
  "Wewillnotgoto—day,"saidhe,"Ihaveaplan。"?And,turningtowardsthedoor,hehopedtoseeAramis,whoseabsencebegantoalarmhim。?Thequeen—motherwishedtoleavetheroom。
  "Remainwhereyouare,mother,"saidhe,"IwishyoutomakeyourpeacewithM。Fouquet。"
  "I
  bearM。Fouquetnoill—will;Ionlydreadedhisprodigalities。"
  "Wewillputthattorights,andwilltakenothingofthesuperintendentbuthisgoodqualities。"
  "Whatisyourmajestylookingfor?"saidHenrietta,seeingtheking'seyesconstantlyturnedtowardsthedoor,andwishingtoletflyalittlepoisonedarrowathisheart,supposinghewassoanxiouslyexpectingeitherLaValli鑢eoraletterfromher。
  "Mysister,"saidtheyoungman,whohaddivinedherthought,thankstothatmarvelousperspicuityofwhichfortunewasfromthattimeabouttoallowhimtheexercise,"mysister,Iamexpectingamostdistinguishedman,amostablecounselor,whomIwishtopresenttoyouall,recommendinghimtoyourgoodgraces。?Ah!comein,then,D'Artagnan。"
  "Whatdoesyourmajestywish?"saidD'Artagnan,appearing。
  "WhereismonsieurthebishopofVannes,yourfriend?"
  "Why,sire—"
  "I
  amwaitingforhim,andhedoesnotcome。?Lethimbesoughtfor。"