\"Whatisthematter？\"askedFouquet。
\"Thematteris，monseigneur，\"repliedthepatronofthebark，\"thatitisatrulyremarkablething—thatlightercomesalonglikeahurricane。\"
Gourvillestarted，andmountedtothedeck，inordertoobtainabetterview。
Fouquetdidnotgoupwithhim，butsaidtoGourville，withrestrainedmistrust:
\"Seewhatitis，dearfriend。\"
Thelighterhadjustpassedtheelbow。？Itcameonsofast，thatbehinditmightbeplainlyseenthewhitewakeilluminedwiththefiresoftheday。
\"Howtheygo，\"repeatedtheskipper，\"howtheygo！？Theymustbewellpaid！？Ididnotthink，\"headded，\"thatoarsofwoodcouldbehavebetterthanours，butyonderoarsmenprovethecontrary。\"
\"Welltheymay，\"saidoneoftherowers，\"theyaretwelve，andwebuteight。\"
\"Twelverowers！\"repliedGourville，\"twelve！impossible。\"
Thenumberofeightrowersforalighterhadneverbeenexceeded，evenfortheking。？Thishonorhadbeenpaidtomonsieurlesurintendant，moreforthesakeofhastethanofrespect。
\"Whatdoesitmean？\"saidGourville，endeavoringtodistinguishbeneaththetent，whichwasalreadyapparent，travelerswhichthemostpiercingeyecouldnotyethavesucceededindiscovering。
\"Theymustbeinahurry，foritisnottheking，\"saidthepatron。
Fouquetshuddered。
\"Bywhatsigndoyouknowthatitisnottheking？\"saidGourville。
\"Inthefirstplace，becausethereisnowhiteflagwithfleurs—de—lis，whichtheroyallighteralwayscarries。\"
\"Andthen，\"saidFouquet，\"becauseitisimpossibleitshouldbetheking，Gourville，asthekingwasstillinParisyesterday。\"
Gourvillerepliedtothesurintendantbyalookwhichsaid:\"Youwerethereyourselfyesterday。\"
\"Andbywhatsigndoyoumakeouttheyareinsuchhaste？\"addedhe，forthesakeofgainingtime。
\"Bythis，monsieur，\"saidthepatron;\"thesepeoplemusthavesetoutalongwhileafterus，andtheyhavealreadynearlyovertakenus。\"
\"Bah！\"
saidGourville，\"whotoldyouthattheydonotcomefromBeaugencyorfromMoiteven？\"
\"Wehaveseennolighterofthatshape，exceptatOrl閍ns。？ItcomesfromOrl閍ns，monsieur，andmakesgreathaste。\"
FouquetandGourvilleexchangedaglance。？Thecaptainremarkedtheiruneasiness，and，tomisleadhim，Gourvilleimmediatelysaid:
\"Somefriend，whohaslaidawagerhewouldcatchus;letuswinthewager，andnotallowhimtocomeupwithus。\"
Thepatronopenedhismouthtosaythatitwasquiteimpossible，butFouquetsaidwithmuchhauteur，—\"Ifitisanyonewhowishestoovertakeus，lethimcome。\"
\"Wecantry，monseigneur，\"saidtheman，timidly。？\"Come，youfellows，putoutyourstrength;row，row！\"
\"No，\"
saidFouquet，\"onthecontrary;stopshort。\"
\"Monseigneur！
whatfolly！\"interruptedGourville，stoopingtowardshisear。
\"Pullup！\"repeatedFouquet。？Theeightoarsstopped，andresistingthewater，createdaretrogrademotion。？Itstopped。？Thetwelverowersintheotherdidnot，atfirst，perceivethismaneuver，fortheycontinuedtourgeontheirboatsovigorouslythatitarrivedquicklywithinmusket—shot。？Fouquetwasshort—sighted，Gourvillewasannoyedbythesun，nowfullinhiseyes;theskipperalone，withthathabitandclearnesswhichareacquiredbyaconstantstrugglewiththeelements，perceiveddistinctlythetravelersintheneighboringlighter。
\"Icanseethem！\"criedhe;\"therearetwo。\"
\"Icanseenothing，\"saidGourville。
\"Youwillnotbelongbeforeyoudistinguishthem;intwentystrokesoftheiroarstheywillbewithintenpacesofus。\"
Butwhatthepatronannouncedwasnotrealized;thelighterimitatedthemovementcommandedbyFouquet，andinsteadofcomingtojoinitspretendedfriends，itstoppedshortinthemiddleoftheriver。
\"Icannotcomprehendthis，\"saidthecaptain。
\"NorI，\"criedGourville。
\"Youwhocanseesoplainlythepeopleinthatlighter，\"resumedFouquet，\"trytodescribethemtous，beforewearetoofaroff。\"
\"IthoughtIsawtwo，\"repliedtheboatman。？\"Icanonlyseeonenow，underthetent。\"
\"Whatsortofmanishe？\"
\"Heisadarkman，broad—shouldered，bull—necked。\"
Alittlecloudatthatmomentpassedacrosstheazure，darkeningthesun。？Gourville，whowasstilllooking，withonehandoverhiseyes，becameabletoseewhathesought，andallatonce，jumpingfromthedeckintothechamberwhereFouquetawaitedhim:\"Colbert！\"
saidhe，inavoicebrokenbyemotion。
\"Colbert！\"
repeatedFouquet。？\"Toostrange！
butno，itisimpossible！\"
\"ItellyouIrecognizedhim，andhe，atthesametime，soplainlyrecognizedme，thatheisjustgoneintothechamberonthepoop。？Perhapsthekinghassenthimonourtrack。\"
\"Inthatcasehewouldjoinus，insteadoflyingby。？Whatishedoingthere？\"
\"Heiswatchingus，withoutadoubt。\"
\"Idonotlikeuncertainty，\"saidFouquet;\"letusgostraightuptohim。\"
\"Oh！
monseigneur，donotdothat，thelighterisfullofarmedmen。\"
\"Hewishestoarrestme，then，Gourville？？Whydoeshenotcomeon？\"
\"Monseigneur，itisnotconsistentwithyourdignitytogotomeetevenyourruin。\"
\"Buttoallowthemtowatchmelikeamalefactor！\"
\"Nothingyetprovesthattheyarewatchingyou，monseigneur;bepatient！\"
\"Whatistobedone，then？\"
\"Donotstop;youwereonlygoingsofasttoappeartoobeytheking\'sorderwithzeal。？Redoublethespeed。？Hewholiveswillsee！\"
\"Thatisbetter。？Come！\"criedFouquet;
\"sincetheyremainstock—stillyonder，letusgoon。\"
Thecaptaingavethesignal，andFouquet\'srowersresumedtheirtaskwithallthesuccessthatcouldbelookedforfrommenwhohadrested。？Scarcelyhadthelightermadeahundredfathoms，thantheother，thatwiththetwelverowers，resumeditsrapidcourse。？Thispositionlastedallday，withoutanyincreaseordiminutionofdistancebetweenthetwovessels。？TowardseveningFouquetwishedtotrytheintentionsofhispersecutor。？Heorderedhisrowerstopulltowardstheshore，asiftoeffectalanding。？Colbert\'slighterimitatedthismaneuver，andsteeredtowardstheshoreinaslantingdirection。？Bythemerestchance，atthespotwhereFouquetpretendedtowishtoland，astableman，fromthech鈚eauofLangeais，wasfollowingtheflowerybanksleadingthreehorsesinhalters。？Withoutdoubtthepeopleofthetwelve—oaredlighterfanciedthatFouquetwasdirectinghiscoursetothesehorsesreadyforflight，forfourorfivemen，armedwithmuskets，jumpedfromthelighterontotheshore，andmarchedalongthebanks，asiftogaingroundonthehorseman。？Fouquet，satisfiedofhavingforcedtheenemytoademonstration，consideredhisintentionevident，andputhisboatinmotionagain。？Colbert\'speoplereturnedlikewisetotheirs，andthecourseofthetwovesselswasresumedwithfreshperseverance。？Uponseeingthis，Fouquetfelthimselfthreatenedclosely，andinapropheticvoice—\"Well，Gourville，\"saidhe，whisperingly，\"whatdidIsayatourlastrepast，atmyhouse？？AmIgoing，ornot，tomyruin？\"
\"Oh！
monseigneur！\"
\"Thesetwoboats，whichfolloweachotherwithsomuchemulation，asifweweredisputing，M。ColbertandI，aprizeforswiftnessontheLoire，dotheynotaptlyrepresentourfortunes;anddoyounotbelieve，Gourville，thatoneofthetwowillbewreckedatNantes？\"
\"Atleast，\"objectedGourville，\"thereisstilluncertainty;youareabouttoappearattheStates;youareabouttoshowwhatsortofmanyouare;
youreloquenceandgeniusforbusinessarethebucklerandswordthatwillservetodefendyou，ifnottoconquerwith。？TheBretonsdonotknowyou;andwhentheybecomeacquaintedwithyouyourcauseiswon！？Oh！letM。Colbertlooktoitwell，forhislighterisasmuchexposedasyourstobeingupset。？Bothgoquickly，hisfasterthanyours，itistrue;weshallseewhichwillbewreckedfirst。\"
Fouquet，takingGourville\'shand—\"Myfriend，\"saidhe，\"everythingconsidered，remembertheproverb，\'Firstcome，firstserved！\'？Well！？M。Colberttakescarenottopassme。？HeisaprudentmanisM。Colbert。\"
Hewasright;
thetwolightersheldtheircourseasfarasNantes，watchingeachother。？Whenthesurintendantlanded，Gourvillehopedheshouldbeabletoseekrefugeatonce，andhavetherelaysprepared。？But，atthelanding，thesecondlighterjoinedthefirst，andColbert，approachingFouquet，salutedhimonthequaywithmarksoftheprofoundestrespect—markssosignificant，sopublic，thattheirresultwasthebringingofthewholepopulationuponLaFosse。？Fouquetwascompletelyself—possessed;hefeltthatinhislastmomentsofgreatnesshehadobligationstowardshimself。？Hewishedtofallfromsuchaheightthathisfallshouldcrushsomeofhisenemies。？Colbertwasthere—somuchtheworseforColbert。？Thesurintendant，therefore，cominguptohim，replied，withthatarrogantsemi—closureoftheeyespeculiartohim—\"What！isthatyou，M。Colbert？\"
\"Toofferyoumyrespects，monseigneur，\"saidthelatter。
\"Wereyouinthatlighter？\"—pointingtotheonewithtwelverowers。
\"Yes，monseigneur。\"
\"Oftwelverowers？\"saidFouquet;\"whatluxury，M。Colbert。？ForamomentIthoughtitwasthequeen—mother。\"
\"Monseigneur！\"
—andColbertblushed。
\"Thisisavoyagethatwillcostthosewhohavetopayforitdear，Monsieurl\'Intendant！\"saidFouquet。？\"Butyouhave，happily，arrived！—Yousee，however，\"addedhe，amomentafter，\"thatI，whohadbuteightrowers，arrivedbeforeyou。\"？Andheturnedhisbacktowardshim，leavinghimuncertainwhetherthemaneuversofthesecondlighterhadescapedthenoticeofthefirst。？Atleasthedidnotgivehimthesatisfactionofshowingthathehadbeenfrightened。？Colbert，soannoyinglyattacked，didnotgiveway。
\"Ihavenotbeenquick，monseigneur，\"hereplied，\"becauseIfollowedyourexamplewheneveryoustopped。\"
\"Andwhydidyoudothat，MonsieurColbert？\"criedFouquet，irritatedbythebaseaudacity;\"asyouhadasuperiorcrewtomine，whydidyounoteitherjoinmeorpassme？\"
\"Outofrespect，\"saidtheintendant，bowingtotheground。
Fouquetgotintoacarriagewhichthecityhadsenttohim，weknownotwhyorhow，andherepairedtolaMaisondeNantes，escortedbyavastcrowdofpeople，whoforseveraldayshadbeenagogwithexpectationofaconvocationoftheStates。？ScarcelywasheinstalledwhenGourvillewentouttoorderhorsesontheroutetoPoitiersandVannes，andaboatatPaimb渇。？Heperformedthesevariousoperationswithsomuchmystery，activity，andgenerosity，thatneverwasFouquet，thenlaboringunderanattackoffever，morenearlysaved，exceptforthecounteractionofthatimmensedisturberofhumanprojects，—chance。？Areportwasspreadduringthenight，thatthekingwascomingingreathasteonposthorses，andwouldarriveintenortwelvehoursatthelatest。？Thepeople，whilewaitingfortheking，weregreatlyrejoicedtoseethemusketeers，newlyarrived，withMonsieurd\'Artagnan，theircaptain，andquarteredinthecastle，ofwhichtheyoccupiedalltheposts，inqualityofguardofhonor。？M。d\'Artagnan，whowasverypolite，presentedhimself，aboutteno\'clock，atthelodgingsofthesurintendanttopayhisrespectfulcompliments;
andalthoughtheministersufferedfromfever，althoughhewasinsuchpainastobebathedinsweat，hewouldreceiveM。d\'Artagnan，whowasdelightedwiththathonor，aswillbeseenbytheconversationtheyhadtogether。
ChapterXXXVIII:
FriendlyAdvice。
Fouquethadgonetobed，likeamanwhoclingstolife，andwishestoeconomize，asmuchaspossible，thatslendertissueofexistence，ofwhichtheshocksandfrictionsofthisworldsoquicklywearoutthetenuity。？D\'Artagnanappearedatthedoorofthischamber，andwassalutedbythesuperintendentwithaveryaffable\"Goodday。\"
\"Bonjour！monseigneur，\"repliedthemusketeer;\"howdidyougetthroughthejourney？\"
\"Tolerablywell，thankyou。\"
\"Andthefever？\"
\"Butpoorly。？Idrink，asyouperceive。？Iamscarcelyarrived，andIhavealreadyleviedacontributionoftisaneuponNantes。\"
\"Youshouldsleepfirst，monseigneur。\"
\"Eh！corbleu！mydearMonsieurd\'Artagnan，Ishouldbeverygladtosleep。\"
\"Whohindersyou？\"
\"Why，youinthefirstplace。\"
\"I？？Oh，monseigneur！\"
\"Nodoubtyoudo。？IsitatNantesasatParis？？Doyounotcomeintheking\'sname？\"
\"ForHeaven\'ssake，monseigneur，\"repliedthecaptain，\"leavethekingalone！？ThedayonwhichIshallcomeonthepartoftheking，forthepurposeyoumean，takemywordforit，Iwillnotleaveyoulongindoubt。？Youwillseemeplacemyhandonmysword，accordingtotheordonnance，andyouwillhearmysayatonce，inceremonialvoice，\'Monseigneur，inthenameoftheking，Iarrestyou！\'\"
\"Youpromisemethatfrankness？\"saidthesuperintendent。
\"Uponmyhonor！？Butwehavenotcometothat，believeme。\"
\"Whatmakesyouthinkthat，M。d\'Artagnan？？Formypart，Ithinkquitethecontrary。\"
\"Ihaveheardspeakofnothingofthekind，\"repliedD\'Artagnan。
\"Eh！
eh！\"saidFouquet。
\"Indeed，no。？Youareanagreeableman，inspiteofyourfever。？Thekingshouldnot，cannothelplovingyou，atthebottomofhisheart。\"
Fouquet\'sexpressionimplieddoubt。？\"ButM。
Colbert？\"saidhe;\"doesM。Colbertlovemeasmuchasyousay？\"
\"IamnotspeakingofM。Colbert，\"repliedD\'Artagnan。？\"Heisanexceptionalman。？Hedoesnotloveyou;somuchisverypossible;but，mordioux！thesquirrelcanguardhimselfagainsttheadderwithverylittletrouble。\"
\"Doyouknowthatyouarespeakingtomequiteasafriend？\"repliedFouquet;
\"andthat，uponmylife！？Ihavenevermetwithamanofyourintelligence，andheart？\"
\"Youarepleasedtosayso，\"repliedD\'Artagnan。？\"Whydidyouwaittillto—daytopaymesuchacompliment？\"
\"Blindthatweare！\"murmuredFouquet。
\"Yourvoiceisgettinghoarse，\"saidD\'Artagnan;\"drink，monseigneur，drink！\"？Andheofferedhimacupoftisane，withthemostfriendlycordiality;Fouquettookit，andthankedhimbyagentlesmile。？\"Suchthingsonlyhappentome，\"
saidthemusketeer。？\"Ihavepassedtenyearsunderyourverybeard，whileyouwererollingabouttonsofgold。？Youwereclearinganannualpensionoffourmillions;youneverobservedme;andyoufindoutthereissuchapersonintheworld，justatthemomentyou—\"
\"JustatthemomentIamabouttofall，\"interruptedFouquet。？\"Thatistrue，mydearMonsieurd\'Artagnan。\"
\"Ididnotsayso。\"
\"Butyouthoughtso;andthatisthesamething。？Well！ifIfall，takemywordastruth，Ishallnotpassasingledaywithoutsayingtomyself，asIstrikemybrow，\'Fool！fool！—stupidmortal！？YouhadaMonsieurd\'Artagnanunderyoureyeandhand，andyoudidnotemployhim，youdidnotenrichhim！\'\"
\"Youoverwhelmme，\"saidthecaptain。？\"Iesteemyougreatly。\"
\"Thereexistsanotherman，then，whodoesnotthinkasM。Colbertthinks，\"saidthesurintendant。
\"HowthisM。Colbertloomsupinyourimagination！？Heisworsethanfever！\"
\"Oh！？Ihavegoodcause，\"saidFouquet。？\"Judgeforyourself。\"？Andherelatedthedetailsofthecourseofthelighters，andthehypocriticalpersecutionofColbert。？\"Isnotthisaclearsignofmyruin？\"
D\'Artagnanbecameveryserious。？\"Thatistrue，\"
hesaid。？\"Yes;ithasanunsavoryodor，asM。deTr関illeusedtosay。\"？AndhefixedonM。Fouquethisintelligentandsignificantlook。
\"AmInotclearlydesignatedinthat，captain？？IsnotthekingbringingmetoNantestogetmeawayfromParis，whereIhavesomanycreatures，andtopossesshimselfofBelle—Isle？\"
\"WhereM。
d\'Herblayis，\"addedD\'Artagnan。？Fouquetraisedhishead。？\"Asforme，monseigneur，\"continuedD\'Artagnan，\"Icanassureyouthekinghassaidnothingtomeagainstyou。\"
\"Indeed！\"
\"ThekingcommandedmetosetoutforNantes，itistrue;andtosaynothingaboutittoM。deGesvres。\"
\"Myfriend。\"
\"ToM。deGesvres，yes，monseigneur，\"continuedthemusketeer，whoseeyesdidnotceasetospeakalanguagedifferentfromthelanguageofhislips。？\"Theking，moreover，commandedmetotakeabrigadeofmusketeers，whichisapparentlysuperfluous，asthecountryisquitequiet。\"
\"A
brigade！\"saidFouquet，raisinghimselfuponhiselbow。
\"Ninety—sixhorsemen，yes，monseigneur。？ThesamenumberaswereemployedinarrestingMM。deChalais，deCinq—Mars，andMontmorency。\"
Fouquetprickeduphisearsatthesewords，pronouncedwithoutapparentvalue。？\"Andwhatelse？\"saidhe。
\"Oh！
nothingbutinsignificantorders;suchasguardingthecastle，guardingeverylodging，allowingnoneofM。deGesvres\'sguardstooccupyasinglepost。\"
\"Andastomyself，\"criedFouquet，\"whatordershadyou？\"
\"Astoyou，monseigneur？—notthesmallestword。\"
\"Monsieurd\'Artagnan，mysafety，myhonor，perhapsmylifeareatstake。？Youwouldnotdeceiveme？\"
\"I？—towhatend？？Areyouthreatened？？Onlytherereallyisanorderwithrespecttocarriagesandboats—\"
\"Anorder？\"
\"Yes;butitcannotconcernyou—asimplemeasureofpolice。\"
\"Whatisit，captain？—whatisit？\"
\"ToforbidallhorsesorboatstoleaveNantes，withoutapass，signedbytheking。\"
\"GreatGod！
but—\"
D\'Artagnanbegantolaugh。？\"AllthatisnottobeputintoexecutionbeforethearrivalofthekingatNantes。？Sothatyouseeplainly，monseigneur，theorderinnowiseconcernsyou。\"
Fouquetbecamethoughtful，andD\'Artagnanfeignednottoobservehispreoccupation。？\"Itisevident，bymythusconfidingtoyoutheorderswhichhavebeengiventome，thatIamfriendlytowardsyou，andthatIamtryingtoprovetoyouthatnoneofthemaredirectedagainstyou。\"
\"Withoutdoubt！—withoutdoubt！\"saidFouquet，stillabsent。
\"Letusrecapitulate，\"saidthecaptain，hisglancebeamingwithearnestness。？\"Aspecialguardaboutthecastle，inwhichyourlodgingistobe，isitnot？\"
\"Doyouknowthecastle？\"
\"Ah！
monseigneur，aregularprison！？TheabsenceofM。deGesvres，whohasthehonorofbeingoneofyourfriends。？Theclosingofthegatesofthecity，andoftheriverwithoutapass;but，onlywhenthekingshallhavearrived。？Pleasetoobserve，MonsieurFouquet，thatif，insteadofspeakingtomanlikeyou，whoareoneofthefirstinthekingdom，Iwerespeakingtoatroubled，uneasyconscience—Ishouldcompromisemyselfforever。？Whatafineopportunityforanyonewhowishedtobefree！？Nopolice，noguards，noorders;thewaterfree，theroadsfree，Monsieurd\'Artagnanobligedtolendhishorses，ifrequired。？Allthisoughttoreassureyou，MonsieurFouquet，forthekingwouldnothaveleftmethusindependent，ifhehadanysinisterdesigns。？Intruth，MonsieurFouquet，askmewhateveryoulike，Iamatyourservice;and，inreturn，ifyouwillconsenttodoit，domeaservice，thatofgivingmycomplimentstoAramisandPorthos，incaseyouembarkforBelle—Isle，asyouhavearighttodowithoutchangingyourdress，immediately，inyourrobedechambre—justasyouare。\"？Sayingthesewords，andwithaprofoundbow，themusketeer，whoselookshadlostnoneoftheirintelligentkindness，lefttheapartment。？Hehadnotreachedthestepsofthevestibule，whenFouquet，quitebesidehimself，hungtothebell—rope，andshouted，\"Myhorses！—mylighter！\"？Butnobodyanswered。？Thesurintendantdressedhimselfwitheverythingthatcametohand。
\"Gourville！
—Gourville！\"criedhe，whileslippinghiswatchintohispocket。？Andthebellsoundedagain，whilstFouquetrepeated，\"Gourville！—Gourville！\"
Gourvilleatlengthappeared，breathlessandpale。
\"Letusbegone！？Letusbegone！\"criedFouquet，assoonashesawhim。
\"Itistoolate！\"saidthesurintendant\'spoorfriend。
\"Toolate！
—why？\"
\"Listen！\"？Andtheyheardthesoundsoftrumpetsanddrumsinfrontofthecastle。
\"Whatdoesthatmean，Gourville？\"
\"Itmeansthekingiscome，monseigneur。\"
\"Theking！\"
\"Theking，whohasriddendoublestages，whohaskilledhorses，andwhoiseighthoursinadvanceofallourcalculations。\"
\"Wearelost！\"murmuredFouquet。？\"BraveD\'Artagnan，allisover，thouhasspokentometoolate！\"
Theking，infact，wasenteringthecity，whichsoonresoundedwiththecannonfromtheramparts，andfromavesselwhichrepliedfromthelowerpartsoftheriver。？Fouquet\'sbrowdarkened;hecalledhisvaletsdechambreanddressedinceremonialcostume。？Fromhiswindow，behindthecurtains，hecouldseetheeagernessofthepeople，andthemovementofalargetroop，whichhadfollowedtheprince。？Thekingwasconductedtothecastlewithgreatpomp，andFouquetsawhimdismountundertheportcullis，andsaysomethingintheearofD\'Artagnan，whoheldhisstirrup。？D\'Artagnan，whenthekinghadpassedunderthearch，directedhisstepstowardsthehouseFouquetwasin;butsoslowly，andstoppingsofrequentlytospeaktohismusketeers，drawnuplikeahedge，thatitmightbesaidhewascountingtheseconds，orthesteps，beforeaccomplishinghisobject。？Fouquetopenedthewindowtospeaktohiminthecourt。
\"Ah！\"
criedD\'Artagnan，onperceivinghim，\"areyoustillthere，monseigneur？\"
AndthatwordstillcompletedtheprooftoFouquetofhowmuchinformationandhowmanyusefulcounselswerecontainedinthefirstvisitthemusketeerhadpaidhim。？Thesurintendantsigheddeeply。？\"Goodheavens！yes，monsieur，\"repliedhe。？\"ThearrivalofthekinghasinterruptedmeintheprojectsIhadformed。\"
\"Oh，thenyouknowthatthekinghasarrived？\"
\"Yes，monsieur，Ihaveseenhim;andthistimeyoucomefromhim—\"
\"Toinquireafteryou，monseigneur;and，ifyourhealthisnottoobad，tobegyoutohavethekindnesstorepairtothecastle。\"
\"Directly，Monsieurd\'Artagnan，directly！\"
\"Ah，mordioux！\"saidthecaptain，\"nowthekingiscome，thereisnomorewalkingforanybody—nomorefreewill;thepasswordgovernsallnow，youasmuchasme，measmuchasyou。\"
Fouquetheavedalastsigh，climbedwithdifficultyintohiscarriage，sogreatwashisweakness，andwenttothecastle，escortedbyD\'Artagnan，whosepolitenesswasnotlessterrifyingthistimethanithadjustbeforebeenconsolingandcheerful。
ChapterXXXIX:
HowtheKing，LouisXIV。，PlayedHisLittlePart。
AsFouquetwasalightingfromhiscarriage，toenterthecastleofNantes，amanofmeanappearancewentuptohimwithmarksofthegreatestrespect，andgavehimaletter。？D\'ArtagnanendeavoredtopreventthismanfromspeakingtoFouquet，andpushedhimaway，butthemessagehadbeengiventothesurintendant。？Fouquetopenedtheletterandreadit，andinstantlyavagueterror，whichD\'Artagnandidnotfailtopenetrate，waspaintedonthecountenanceofthefirstminister。？Fouquetputthepaperintotheportfoliowhichhehadunderhisarm，andpassedontowardstheking\'sapartments。？D\'Artagnan，throughthesmallwindowsmadeateverylandingofthedonjonstairs，saw，ashewentupbehindFouquet，themanwhohaddeliveredthenote，lookingroundhimontheplaceandmakingsignstoseveralpersons，whodisappearedintheadjacentstreets，afterhavingthemselvesrepeatedthesignals。？Fouquetwasmadetowaitforamomentontheterraceofwhichwehavespoken，—aterracewhichabuttedonthelittlecorridor，attheendofwhichthecabinetofthekingwaslocated。？HereD\'Artagnanpassedonbeforethesurintendant，whom，tillthattime，hehadrespectfullyaccompanied，andenteredtheroyalcabinet。