\"Suchathingisverypossible。\"
\"YouareconspiringagainstM。Colbert。？Ifthatbeall，mordioux，tellmesoatonce。？Ihavetheinstrumentinmyownhand，andwillpulloutthetootheasilyenough。\"
Aramiscouldnotconcealasmileofdisdainthatflittedoverhishaughtyfeatures。？\"AndsupposingthatI
wereconspiringagainstColbert，whatharmwouldtherebeinthat？\"
\"No，no;thatwouldbetootriflingamatterforyoutotakeinhand，anditwasnotonthataccountyouaskedPercerinforthosepatternsoftheking\'scostumes。？Oh！？Aramis，wearenotenemies，remember—wearebrothers。？Tellmewhatyouwishtoundertake，and，uponthewordofaD\'Artagnan，ifIcannothelpyou，Iwillsweartoremainneuter。\"
\"I
amundertakingnothing，\"saidAramis。
\"Aramis，avoicewithinmespeaksandseemstotricklefortharilloflightwithinmydarkness:itisavoicethathasneveryetdeceivedme。？Itisthekingyouareconspiringagainst。\"
\"Theking？\"exclaimedthebishop，pretendingtobeannoyed。
\"Yourfacewillnotconvinceme;theking，Irepeat。\"
\"Willyouhelpme？\"saidAramis，smilingironically。
\"Aramis，Iwilldomorethanhelpyou—Iwilldomorethanremainneuter—Iwillsaveyou。\"
\"Youaremad，D\'Artagnan。\"
\"I
amthewiserofthetwo，inthismatter。\"
\"Youtosuspectmeofwishingtoassassinatetheking！\"
\"Whospokeofsuchathing？\"smiledthemusketeer。
\"Well，letusunderstandoneanother。？Idonotseewhatanyonecandotoalegitimatekingasoursis，ifhedoesnotassassinatehim。\"？D\'Artagnandidnotsayaword。？\"Besides，youhaveyourguardsandyourmusketeershere，\"saidthebishop。
\"True。\"
\"YouarenotinM。Fouquet\'shouse，butinyourown。\"
\"True;
butinspiteofthat，Aramis，grantme，forpity\'ssake，onesinglewordofatruefriend。\"
\"A
truefriend\'swordisevertruthitself。？IfIthinkoftouching，evenwithmyfinger，thesonofAnneofAustria，thetruekingofthisrealmofFrance—ifIhavenotthefirmintentionofprostratingmyselfbeforehisthrone—ifineveryideaImayentertainto—morrow，hereatVaux，willnotbethemostgloriousdaymykingeverenjoyed—mayHeaven\'slightningblastmewhereIstand！\"？Aramishadpronouncedthesewordswithhisfaceturnedtowardsthealcoveofhisownbedroom，whereD\'Artagnan，seatedwithhisbacktowardsthealcove，couldnotsuspectthatanyonewaslyingconcealed。？Theearnestnessofhiswords，thestudiedslownesswithwhichhepronouncedthem，thesolemnityofhisoath，gavethemusketeerthemostcompletesatisfaction。？HetookholdofbothAramis\'shands，andshookthemcordially。？Aramishadenduredreproacheswithoutturningpale，andhadblushedashelistenedtowordsofpraise。？D\'Artagnan，deceived，didhimhonor;butD\'Artagnan，trustfulandreliant，madehimfeelashamed。？\"Areyougoingaway？\"hesaid，asheembracedhim，inordertoconcealtheflushonhisface。
\"Yes。？Dutysummonsme。？Ihavetogetthewatch—word。？ItseemsIamtobelodgedintheking\'sante—room。？WheredoesPorthossleep？\"
\"Takehimawaywithyou，ifyoulike，forherumblesthroughhissleepynoselikeaparkofartillery。\"
\"Ah！
hedoesnotstaywithyou，then？\"saidD\'Artagnan。
\"Nottheleastintheworld。？Hehasachambertohimself，butIdon\'tknowwhere。\"
\"Verygood！\"saidthemusketeer;fromwhomthisseparationofthetwoassociatesremovedhislastsuspicion，andhetouchedPorthoslightlyontheshoulder;thelatterrepliedbyaloudyawn。？\"Come，\"saidD\'Artagnan。
\"What，D\'Artagnan，mydearfellow，isthatyou？？Whataluckychance！？Oh，yes—
true;Ihaveforgotten;Iamatthef阾eatVaux。\"
\"Yes;
andyourbeautifuldress，too。\"
\"Yes，itwasveryattentiveonthepartofMonsieurCoquelindeVoli鑢e，wasitnot？\"
\"Hush！\"
saidAramis。？\"Youarewalkingsoheavilyyouwillmaketheflooringgiveway。\"
\"True，\"
saidthemusketeer;\"thisroomisabovethedome，Ithink。\"
\"AndIdidnotchooseitforafencing—room，Iassureyou，\"addedthebishop。？\"Theceilingoftheking\'sroomhasallthelightnessandcalmofwholesomesleep。？Donotforget，therefore，thatmyflooringismerelythecoveringofhisceiling。？Goodnight，myfriends，andintenminutesIshallbeasleepmyself。\"？AndAramisaccompaniedthemtothedoor，laughingquietlyallthewhile。？Assoonastheywereoutside，heboltedthedoor，hurriedly;
closedupthechinksofthewindows，andthencalledout，\"Monseigneur！—
monseigneur！\"？Philippemadehisappearancefromthealcove，ashepushedasideaslidingpanelplacedbehindthebed。
\"M。
d\'Artagnanentertainsagreatmanysuspicions，itseems，\"hesaid。
\"Ah！
—yourecognizedM。d\'Artagnan，then？\"
\"Beforeyoucalledhimbyhisname，even。\"
\"Heisyourcaptainofmusketeers。\"
\"Heisverydevotedtome，\"repliedPhilippe，layingastressuponthepersonalpronoun。
\"Asfaithfulasadog;buthebitessometimes。？IfD\'Artagnandoesnotrecognizeyoubeforetheotherhasdisappeared，relyuponD\'Artagnantotheendoftheworld;forinthatcase，ifhehasseennothing，hewillkeephisfidelity。？Ifhesees，whenitistoolate，heisaGascon，andwillneveradmitthathehasbeendeceived。\"
\"I
thoughtso。？Whatarewetodo，now？\"
\"Sitinthisfolding—chair。？Iamgoingtopushasideaportionoftheflooring;youwilllookthroughtheopening，whichanswerstooneofthefalsewindowsmadeinthedomeoftheking\'sapartment。？Canyousee？\"
\"Yes，\"
saidPhilippe，startingasatthesightofanenemy;\"Iseetheking！\"
\"Whatishedoing？\"
\"Heseemstowishsomemantositdownclosetohim。\"
\"M。
Fouquet？\"
\"No，no;
waitamoment—\"
\"Lookatthenotesandtheportraits，myprince。\"
\"ThemanwhomthekingwishestositdowninhispresenceisM。Colbert。\"
\"Colbertsitdownintheking\'spresence！\"exclaimedAramis。？\"Itisimpossible。\"
\"Look。\"
Aramislookedthroughtheopeningintheflooring。？\"Yes，\"hesaid。？\"Colberthimself。？Oh，monseigneur！whatcanwebegoingtohear—andwhatcanresultfromthisintimacy？\"
\"NothinggoodforM。Fouquet，atallevents。\"
Theprincedidnotdeceivehimself。
WehaveseenthatLouisXIV。hadsentforColbert，andColberthadarrived。？Theconversationbeganbetweenthembythekingaccordingtohimoneofthehighestfavorsthathehadeverdone;itwastruethekingwasalonewithhissubject。？\"Colbert，\"saidhe，\"sitdown。\"
Theintendant，overcomewithdelight，forhefearedhewasabouttobedismissed，refusedthisunprecedentedhonor。
\"Doesheaccept？\"saidAramis。
\"No，heremainsstanding。\"
\"Letuslisten，then。\"？Andthefuturekingandthefuturepopelistenedeagerlytothesimplemortalstheyheldundertheirfeet，readytocrushthemwhentheyliked。
\"Colbert，\"
saidtheking，\"youhaveannoyedmeexceedinglyto—day。\"
\"Iknowit，sire。\"？\"Verygood;Ilikethatanswer。？Yes，youknewit，andtherewascourageinthedoingofit。\"
\"I
rantheriskofdispleasingyourmajesty，butIrisked，also，theconcealmentofyourbestinterests。\"
\"What！youwereafraidofsomethingonmyaccount？\"
\"I
was，sire，evenifitwerenothingmorethananindigestion，\"saidColbert;\"forpeopledonotgivetheirsovereignssuchbanquetsastheoneofto—day，unlessitbetostiflethembeneaththeburdenofgoodliving。\"？Colbertawaitedtheeffectthiscoarsejestwouldproduceupontheking;andLouisXIV。，whowasthevainestandthemostfastidiouslydelicatemaninhiskingdom，forgaveColbertthejoke。
\"Thetruthis，\"hesaid，\"thatM。Fouquethasgivenmetoogoodameal。？Tellme，Colbert，wheredoeshegetallthemoneyrequiredforthisenormousexpenditure，—canyoutell？\"
\"Yes，Idoknow，sire。\"
\"Willyoubeabletoproveitwithtolerablecertainty？\"
\"Easily;
andtotheutmostfarthing。\"
\"Iknowyouareveryexact。\"
\"Exactitudeistheprincipalqualificationrequiredinanintendantoffinances。\"
\"Butallarenotso。\"
\"Ithankyoumajestyforsoflatteringacomplimentfromyourownlips。\"
\"M。
Fouquet，therefore，isrich—veryrich，andIsupposeeverymanknowsheisso。\"
\"Everyone，sire;thelivingaswellasthedead。\"
\"Whatdoesthatmean，MonsieurColbert？\"
\"ThelivingarewitnessesofM。Fouquet\'swealth，—theyadmireandapplaudtheresultproduced;butthedead，wiserandbetterinformedthanweare，knowhowthatwealthwasobtained—andtheyriseupinaccusation。\"
\"SothatM。
Fouquetoweshiswealthtosomecauseorother。\"
\"Theoccupationofanintendantveryoftenfavorsthosewhopracticeit。\"
\"Youhavesomethingtosaytomemoreconfidentially，Iperceive;donotbeafraid，wearequitealone。\"
\"I
amneverafraidofanythingundertheshelterofmyownconscience，andundertheprotectionofyourmajesty，\"saidColbert，bowing。
\"Ifthedead，therefore，weretospeak—\"
\"Theydospeaksometimes，sire，—read。\"
\"Ah！\"
murmuredAramis，intheprince\'sear，who，closebesidehim，listenedwithoutlosingasyllable，\"sinceyouareplacedhere，monseigneur，inordertolearnyourvocationofaking，listentoapieceofinfamy—ofanaturetrulyroyal。？Youareabouttobeawitnessofoneofthosesceneswhichthefoulfiendaloneconceivesandexecutes。？Listenattentively，—youwillfindyouradvantageinit。\"
Theprinceredoubledhisattention，andsawLouisXIV。takefromColbert\'shandsaletterthelatterheldouttohim。
\"Thelatecardinal\'shandwriting，\"saidtheking。
\"Yourmajestyhasanexcellentmemory，\"repliedColbert，bowing;\"itisanimmenseadvantageforakingwhoisdestinedforhardworktorecognizehandwritingsatthefirstglance。\"
ThekingreadMazarin\'sletter，and，asitscontentsarealreadyknowntothereader，inconsequenceofthemisunderstandingbetweenMadamedeChevreuseandAramis，nothingfurtherwouldbelearnedifwestatedthemhereagain。
\"Idonotquiteunderstand，\"saidtheking，greatlyinterested。
\"Yourmajestyhasnotacquiredtheutilitarianhabitofcheckingthepublicaccounts。\"
\"IseethatitreferstomoneythathadbeengiventoM。Fouquet。\"
\"Thirteenmillions。？Atolerablygoodsum。\"
\"Yes。？Well，thesethirteenmillionsarewantingtobalancethetotaloftheaccount。？ThatiswhatIdonotverywellunderstand。？Howwasthisdeficitpossible？\"
\"PossibleI
donotsay;butthereisnodoubtaboutfactthatitisreallyso。\"
\"Yousaythatthesethirteenmillionsarefoundtobewantingintheaccounts？\"
\"Idonotsayso，buttheregistrydoes。\"
\"AndthisletterofM。Mazarinindicatestheemploymentofthatsumandthenameofthepersonwithwhomitwasdeposited？\"
\"Asyourmajestycanjudgeforyourself。\"
\"Yes;andtheresultis，then，thatM。Fouquethasnotyetrestoredthethirteenmillions。\"
\"Thatresultsfromtheaccounts，certainly，sire。\"
\"Well，and，consequently—\"
\"Well，sire，inthatcase，inasmuchasM。Fouquethasnotyetgivenbackthethirteenmillions，hemusthaveappropriatedthemtohisownpurpose;andwiththosethirteenmillionsonecouldincurfourtimesandalittlemoreasmuchexpense，andmakefourtimesasgreatadisplay，asyourmajestywasabletodoatFontainebleau，whereweonlyspentthreemillionsaltogether，ifyouremember。\"
Forablunderer，thesouvenirhehadevokedwasaratherskillfullycontrivedpieceofbaseness;forbytheremembranceofhisownf阾ehe，forthefirsttime，perceiveditsinferioritycomparedwiththatofFouquet。？ColbertreceivedbackagainatVauxwhatFouquethadgivenhimatFontainebleau，and，asagoodfinancier，returneditwiththebestpossibleinterest。？Havingoncedisposedtheking\'smindinthisartfulway，Colberthadnothingofmuchimportancetodetainhim。？Hefeltthatsuchwasthecase，fortheking，too，hadagainsunkintoadullandgloomystate。？Colbertawaitedthefirstwordsfromtheking\'slipswithasmuchimpatienceasPhilippeandAramisdidfromtheirplaceofobservation。
\"Areyouawarewhatistheusualandnaturalconsequenceofallthis，MonsieurColbert？\"saidtheking，afterafewmoments\'reflection。
\"No，sire，Idonotknow。\"
\"Well，then，thefactoftheappropriationofthethirteenmillions，ifitcanbeproved—\"
\"Butitissoalready。\"
\"Imeanifitweretobedeclaredandcertified，M。Colbert。\"
\"Ithinkitwillbeto—morrow，ifyourmajesty—\"
\"WerewenotunderM。Fouquet\'sroof，youweregoingtosay，perhaps，\"repliedtheking，withsomethingofnobilityinhisdemeanor。
\"Thekingisinhisownpalacewhereverhemaybe—especiallyinhouseswhichtheroyalmoneyhasconstructed。\"
\"I
think，\"saidPhilippeinalowtonetoAramis，\"thatthearchitectwhoplannedthisdomeought，anticipatingtheuseitcouldbeputtoatafutureopportunity，sotohavecontrivedthatitmightbemadetofallupontheheadsofscoundrelssuchasM。Colbert。\"
\"Ithinksotoo，\"repliedAramis;\"butM。Colbertissoverynearthekingatthismoment。\"
\"Thatistrue，andthatwouldopenthesuccession。\"
\"Ofwhichyouryoungerbrotherwouldreapalltheadvantage，monseigneur。？Butstay，letuskeepquiet，andgoonlistening。\"
\"Weshallnothavelongtolisten，\"saidtheyoungprince。
\"Whynot，monseigneur？\"
\"Because，ifIwereking，Ishouldmakenofurtherreply。\"
\"Andwhatwouldyoudo？\"
\"Ishouldwaituntilto—morrowmorningtogivemyselftimeforreflection。\"
LouisXIV。atlastraisedhiseyes，andfindingColbertattentivelywaitingforhisnextremarks，said，hastily，changingtheconversation，\"M。Colbert，I
perceiveitisgettingverylate，andIshallnowretiretobed。？Byto—morrowmorningIshallhavemadeupmymind。\"
\"Verygood，sire，\"returnedColbert，greatlyincensed，althoughherestrainedhimselfinthepresenceoftheking。
Thekingmadeagestureofadieu，andColbertwithdrewwitharespectfulbow。？\"Myattendants！\"criedtheking;
and，astheyenteredtheapartment，Philippewasabouttoquithispostofobservation。
\"A
momentlonger，\"saidAramistohim，withhisaccustomedgentlenessofmanner;\"whathasjustnowtakenplaceisonlyadetail，andto—morrowweshallhavenooccasiontothinkanythingmoreaboutit;buttheceremonyoftheking\'sretiringtorest，theetiquetteobservedinaddressingtheking，thatindeedisofthegreatestimportance。？Learn，sire，andstudywellhowyououghttogotobedofanight。？Look！look！\"
ChapterXV:
Colbert。
Historywilltellus，orratherhistoryhastoldus，ofthevariouseventsofthefollowingday，ofthesplendidf阾esgivenbythesurintendanttohissovereign。？Nothingbutamusementanddelightwasallowedtoprevailthroughoutthewholeofthefollowingday;therewasapromenade，abanquet，acomedytobeacted，andacomedy，too，inwhich，tohisgreatamazement，Porthosrecognized\"M。CoquelindeVoli鑢e\"asoneoftheactors，inthepiececalled\"LesF鈉heux。\"？Fullofpreoccupation，however，fromthesceneofthepreviousevening，andhardlyrecoveredfromtheeffectsofthepoisonwhichColberthadthenadministeredtohim，theking，duringthewholeoftheday，sobrilliantinitseffects，sofullofunexpectedandstartlingnovelties，inwhichallthewondersofthe\"ArabianNight\'sEntertainments\"seemedtobereproducedforhisespecialamusement—theking，wesay，showedhimselfcold，reserved，andtaciturn。？Nothingcouldsmooththefrownsuponhisface;everyonewhoobservedhimnoticedthatadeepfeelingofresentment，ofremoteorigin，increasedbyslowdegrees，asthesourcebecomesariver，thankstothethousandthreadsofwaterthatincreaseitsbody，waskeenlyaliveinthedepthsoftheking\'sheart。？Towardsthemiddleofthedayonlydidhebegintoresumealittleserenityofmanner，andbythattimehehad，inallprobability，madeuphismind。？Aramis，whofollowedhimstepbystepinhisthoughts，asinhiswalk，concludedthattheeventhewasexpectingwouldnotbelongbeforeitwasannounced。？ThistimeColbertseemedtowalkinconcertwiththebishopofVannes，andhadhereceivedforeveryannoyancewhichheinflictedonthekingawordofdirectionfromAramis，hecouldnothavedonebetter。？Duringthewholeofthedaytheking，who，inallprobability，wishedtofreehimselffromsomeofthethoughtswhichdisturbedhismind，seemedtoseekLaValli鑢e\'ssocietyasactivelyasheseemedtoshowhisanxietytofleethatofM。ColbertorM。Fouquet。？Theeveningcame。？Thekinghadexpressedawishnottowalkintheparkuntilaftercardsintheevening。？Intheintervalbetweensupperandthepromenade，cardsanddicewereintroduced。？Thekingwonathousandpistoles，and，havingwonthem，puttheminhispocket，andthenrose，saying，\"Andnow，gentlemen，tothepark。\"？Hefoundtheladiesofthecourtwerealreadythere。？Theking，wehavebeforeobserved，hadwonathousandpistoles，andhadputtheminhispocket;butM。Fouquethadsomehowcontrivedtolosetenthousand，sothatamongthecourtierstherewasstillleftahundredandninetythousandfrancs\'profittodivide，acircumstancewhichmadethecountenancesofthecourtiersandtheofficersoftheking\'shouseholdthemostjoyouscountenancesintheworld。？Itwasnotthesame，however，withtheking\'sface;for，notwithstandinghissuccessatplay，towhichhewasbynomeansinsensible，therestillremainedaslightshadeofdissatisfaction。？Colbertwaswaitingfororuponhimatthecornerofoneoftheavenues;hewasmostprobablywaitingthereinconsequenceofarendezvouswhichhadbeengivenhimbytheking，asLouisXIV。，whohadavoidedhim，orwhohadseemedtoavoidhim，suddenlymadehimasign，andtheythenstruckintothedepthsoftheparktogether。？ButLaValli鑢e，too，hadobservedtheking\'sgloomyaspectandkindlingglances;shehadremarkedthis—
andasnothingwhichlayhiddenorsmolderinginhisheartwashiddenfromthegazeofheraffection，sheunderstoodthatthisrepressedwrathmenacedsomeone;shepreparedtowithstandthecurrentofhisvengeance，andintercedelikeanangelofmercy。？Overcomebysadness，nervouslyagitated，deeplydistressedathavingbeensolongseparatedfromherlover，disturbedatthesightoftheemotionshehaddivined，sheaccordinglypresentedherselftothekingwithanembarrassedaspect，whichinhisthendispositionofmindthekinginterpretedunfavorably。？Then，astheywerealone—nearlyalone，inasmuchasColbert，assoonasheperceivedtheyounggirlapproaching，hadstoppedanddrawnbackadozenpaces—thekingadvancedtowardsLaValli鑢eandtookherbythehand。？\"Mademoiselle，\"hesaidtoher，\"shouldIbeguiltyofanindiscretionifIweretoinquireifyouwereindisposed？foryouseemtobreatheasifyouwereoppressedbysomesecretcauseofuneasiness，andyoureyesarefilledwithtears。\"
\"Oh！
sire，ifIbeindeedso，andifmyeyesareindeedfulloftears，Iamsorrowfulonlyatthesadnesswhichseemstooppressyourmajesty。\"
\"Mysadness？？Youaremistaken，mademoiselle;no，itisnotsadnessIexperience。\"
\"Whatisit，then，sire？\"
\"Humiliation。\"
\"Humiliation？
oh！sire，whatawordforyoutouse！\"
\"I
mean，mademoiselle，thatwhereverImayhappentobe，nooneelseoughttobethemaster。？Well，then，lookroundyouoneveryside，andjudgewhetherIamnoteclipsed—I，thekingofFrance—
beforethemonarchofthesewidedomains。？Oh！\"hecontinued，clenchinghishandsandteeth，\"whenI
thinkthatthisking—\"
\"Well，sire？\"saidLouise，terrified。
\"
—Thatthiskingisafaithless，unworthyservant，whogrowsproudandself—sufficientuponthestrengthofpropertythatbelongstome，andwhichhehasstolen。？AndthereforeIamabouttochangethisimpudentminister\'sf阾eintosorrowandmourning，ofwhichthenymphofVaux，asthepoetssay，shallnotsoonlosetheremembrance。\"
\"Oh！
yourmajesty—\"
\"Well，mademoiselle，areyouabouttotakeM。Fouquet\'spart？\"saidLouis，impatiently。
\"No，sire;Iwillonlyaskwhetheryouarewellinformed。？Yourmajestyhasmorethanoncelearnedthevalueofaccusationsmadeatcourt。\"
LouisXIV。madeasignforColberttoapproach。？\"Speak，MonsieurColbert，\"saidtheyoungprince，\"forI
almostbelievethatMademoiselledelaValli鑢ehasneedofyourassistancebeforeshecanputanyfaithintheking\'sword。？TellmademoisellewhatM。Fouquethasdone;andyou，mademoiselle，willperhapshavethekindnesstolisten。？Itwillnotbelong。\"
WhydidLouisXIV。insistuponitinsuchamanner？？Averysimplereason—hisheartwasnotatrest，hismindwasnotthoroughlyconvinced;heimaginedtherelaysomedark，hidden，tortuousintriguebehindthesethirteenmillionsoffrancs;andhewishedthatthepureheartofLaValli鑢e，whichhadrevoltedattheideaoftheftorrobbery，shouldapprove—evenwereitonlybyasingleword—theresolutionhehadtaken，andwhich，nevertheless，hehesitatedbeforecarryingintoexecution。
\"Speak，monsieur，\"saidLaValli鑢etoColbert，whohadadvanced;\"speak，sincethekingwishesmetolistentoyou。？Tellme，whatisthecrimewithwhichM。Fouquetischarged？\"
\"Oh！
notveryheinous，mademoiselle，\"hereturned，\"amereabuseofconfidence。\"
\"Speak，speak，Colbert;andwhenyouhaverelatedit，leaveus，andgoandinformM。
d\'ArtagnanthatIhavecertainorderstogivehim。\"
\"M。
d\'Artagnan，sire！\"exclaimedLaValli鑢e;\"butwhysendforM。
d\'Artagnan？？Ientreatyoutotellme。\"
\"Pardieu！inordertoarrestthishaughty，arrogantTitanwho，truetohismenace，threatenstoscalemyheaven。\"
\"ArrestM。Fouquet，doyousay？\"
\"Ah！
doesthatsurpriseyou？\"
\"Inhisownhouse！\"
\"Whynot？？Ifhebeguilty，heisasguiltyinhisownhouseasanywhereelse。\"
\"M。
Fouquet，whoatthismomentisruininghimselfforhissovereign。\"
\"Inplaintruth，mademoiselle，itseemsasifyouweredefendingthistraitor。\"
Colbertbegantochucklesilently。？Thekingturnedroundatthesoundofthissuppressedmirth。
\"Sire，\"
saidLaValli鑢e，\"itisnotM。FouquetIamdefending;itisyourself。\"
\"Me！
youaredefendingme？\"
\"Sire，youwoulddishonoryourselfifyouweretogivesuchanorder。\"
\"Dishonormyself！\"murmuredtheking，turningpalewithanger。？\"Inplaintruth，mademoiselle，youshowastrangepersistenceinwhatyousay。\"
\"IfIdo，sire，myonlymotiveisthatofservingyourmajesty，\"repliedthenoble—heartedgirl:\"forthatIwouldrisk，Iwouldsacrificemyverylife，withouttheleastreserve。\"
Colbertseemedinclinedtogrumbleandcomplain。？LaValli鑢e，thattimid，gentlelamb，turnedrounduponhim，andwithaglancelikelightningimposedsilenceuponhim。？\"Monsieur，\"shesaid，\"whenthekingactswell，whether，indoingso，hedoeseithermyselforthosewhobelongtomeaninjury，Ihavenothingtosay;butwerethekingtoconferabenefiteitheruponmeormine，andifheactedbadly，Ishouldtellhimso。\"
\"Butitappearstome，mademoiselle，\"Colbertventuredtosay，\"thatItoolovetheking。\"