\"No，but—\"
\"But—IshallbesenttokeepcompanywithunfortunateM。Fouquet。？Mordioux！？Thatisagallantman，aworthyman！？Weshallliveverysociablytogether，Iwillbesworn。\"
\"Hereweareatourplaceofdestination，\"saidtheduke。？\"Captain，forHeaven\'ssakebecalmwiththeking！\"
\"Ah！
ah！youareplayingthebravemanwithme，duke！\"saidD\'Artagnan，throwingoneofhisdefiantglancesoverGesvres。？\"Ihavebeentoldthatyouareambitiousofunitingyourguardswithmymusketeers。？Thisstrikesmeasasplendidopportunity。\"
\"I
willtakeexceedinggoodcarenottoavailmyselfofit，captain。\"
\"Andwhynot，pray？\"
\"Oh，formanyreasons—inthefirstplace，forthis:ifIweretosucceedyouinthemusketeersafterhavingarrestedyou—\"
\"Ah！
thenyouadmityouhavearrestedme？\"
\"No，Idon\'t。\"
\"Saymetme，then。？So，youweresayingifyouweretosucceedmeafterhavingarrestedme？\"
\"Yourmusketeers，atthefirstexercisewithballcartridges，wouldfiremyway，bymistake。\"
\"Oh，astothatIwon\'tsay;forthefellowsdolovemealittle。\"
GesvresmadeD\'Artagnanpassinfirst，andtookhimstraighttothecabinetwhereLouiswaswaitingforhiscaptainofthemusketeers，andplacedhimselfbehindhiscolleagueintheante—chamber。？Thekingcouldbehearddistinctly，speakingaloudtoColbertinthesamecabinetwhereColbertmighthaveheard，afewdaysbefore，thekingspeakingaloudwithM。
d\'Artagnan。？Theguardsremainedasamountedpicketbeforetheprincipalgate;andthereportwasquicklyspreadthroughoutthecitythatmonsieurlecapitaineofthemusketeershadbeenarrestedbyorderoftheking。？Thenthesemenwereseentobeinmotion，andasinthegoodoldtimesofLouisXIII。andM。deTr関ille，groupswereformed，andstaircaseswerefilled;vaguemurmurs，issuingfromthecourtbelow，camerollingtotheupperstories，likethedistantmoaningofthewaves。？M。deGesvresbecameuneasy。？Helookedathisguards，who，afterbeinginterrogatedbythemusketeerswhohadjustgotamongtheirranks，begantoshunthemwithamanifestationofinnocence。？D\'ArtagnanwascertainlylessdisturbedbyallthisthanM。deGesvres，thecaptainoftheguards。？Assoonasheentered，heseatedhimselfontheledgeofawindowwhencewithhiseagleglancehesawallthatwasgoingonwithouttheleastemotion。？Nostepoftheprogressivefermentationwhichhadshownitselfatthereportofhisarrestescapedhim。？Heforesawtheverymomenttheexplosionwouldtakeplace;andweknowthathisprevisionswereingeneralcorrect。
\"Itwouldbeverywhimsical，\"thoughthe，\"if，thisevening，mypr鎡oriansshouldmakemekingofFrance。？HowIshouldlaugh！\"
But，attheheight，allwasstopped。？Guards，musketeers，officers，soldiers，murmurs，uneasiness，dispersed，vanished，diedaway;therewasanendofmenaceandsedition。？Onewordhadcalmedthewaves。？ThekinghaddesiredBriennetosay，\"Hush，messieurs！youdisturbtheking。\"
D\'Artagnansighed。？\"Allisover！\"saidhe;\"themusketeersofthepresentdayarenotthoseofhismajestyLouisXIII。？Allisover！\"
\"Monsieurd\'Artagnan，youarewantedintheante—chamberoftheking，\"proclaimedanusher。
ChapterLIII:
KingLouisXIV。
Thekingwasseatedinhiscabinet，withhisbackturnedtowardsthedoorofentrance。？Infrontofhimwasamirror，inwhich，whileturningoverhispapers，hecouldseeataglancethosewhocamein。？HedidnottakeanynoticeoftheentranceofD\'Artagnan，butspreadabovehislettersandplansthelargesilkclothheusedtoconcealhissecretsfromtheimportunate。？D\'Artagnanunderstoodthisby—play，andkeptinthebackground;sothatattheendofaminutetheking，whoheardnothing，andsawnothingsavefromthecornerofhiseye，wasobligedtocry，\"IsnotM。d\'Artagnanthere？\"
\"I
amhere，sire，\"repliedthemusketeer，advancing。
\"Well，monsieur，\"saidtheking，fixinghispellucideyesonD\'Artagnan，\"whathaveyoutosaytome？\"
\"I，sire！\"repliedthelatter，whowatchedthefirstblowofhisadversarytomakeagoodretort;\"Ihavenothingtosaytoyourmajesty，unlessitbethatyouhavecausedmetobearrested，andhereIam。\"
ThekingwasgoingtoreplythathehadnothadD\'Artagnanarrested，butanysuchsentenceappearedtoomuchlikeanexcuse，andhewassilent。？D\'Artagnanlikewisepreservedanobstinatesilence。
\"Monsieur，\"
atlengthresumedtheking，\"whatdidIchargeyoutogoanddoatBelle—Isle？？Tellme，ifyouplease。\"
Thekingwhileutteringthesewordslookedintentlyathiscaptain。？HereD\'Artagnanwasfortunate;thekingseemedtoplacethegameinhishands。
\"I
believe，\"repliedhe，\"thatyourmajestydoesmethehonortoaskwhatIwenttoBelle—Isletoaccomplish？\"
\"Yes，monsieur。\"
\"Well！
sire，Iknownothingaboutit;itisnotofmethatquestionshouldbeasked，butofthatinfinitenumberofofficersofallkinds，towhomhavebeengiveninnumerableordersofallkinds，whilsttome，headoftheexpedition，nothingprecisewassaidorstatedinanyformwhatever。\"
Thekingwashurt:heshoweditbyhisreply。？\"Monsieur，\"saidhe，\"ordershaveonlybeengiventosuchaswerejudgedfaithful。\"
\"And，therefore，Ihavebeenastonished，sire，\"retortedthemusketeer，\"thatacaptainlikemyself，whorankswithamar閏halofFrance，shouldhavefoundhimselfundertheordersoffiveorsixlieutenantsormajors，goodtomakespiesof，possibly，butnotatallfittoconductawarlikeexpedition。？ItwasuponthissubjectI
cametodemandanexplanationofyourmajesty，whenIfoundthedoorclosedagainstme，which，thefinalinsultofferedtoabraveman，hasledmetoquityourmajesty\'sservice。\"
\"Monsieur，\"
repliedtheking，\"youstillbelievethatyouarelivinginanagewhenkingswere，asyoucomplainofhavingbeen，undertheordersandatthediscretionoftheirinferiors。？YouseemtoforgetthatakingowesanaccountofhisactionstononebutGod。\"
\"I
forgetnothing，sire，\"saidthemusketeer，woundedbythislesson。？\"Besides，Idonotseeinwhatanhonestman，whenheasksofhiskinghowhehasill—servedhim，offendshim。\"
\"Youhaveill—servedme，monsieur，bysidingwithmyenemiesagainstme。\"
\"Whoareyourenemies，sire？\"
\"ThemenIsentyoutofight。\"
\"Twomentheenemiesofthewholeofyourmajesty\'sarmy！？Thatisincredible。\"
\"Youhavenopowertojudgeofmywill。\"
\"ButIhavetojudgeofmyownfriendships，sire。\"
\"Hewhoserveshisfriendsdoesnotservehismaster。\"
\"I
sowellunderstandthis，sire，thatIhaverespectfullyofferedyourmajestymyresignation。\"
\"AndIhaveacceptedit，monsieur，\"saidtheking。？\"BeforebeingseparatedfromyouIwaswillingtoprovetoyouthatIknowhowtokeepmyword。\"
\"Yourmajestyhaskeptmorethanyourword，foryourmajestyhashadmearrested，\"saidD\'Artagnan，withhiscold，banteringair;\"youdidnotpromisemethat，sire。\"
Thekingwouldnotcondescendtoperceivethepleasantry，andcontinued，seriously，\"Yousee，monsieur，towhatgravestepsyourdisobedienceforcesme。\"
\"Mydisobedience！\"criedD\'Artagnan，redwithanger。
\"ItisthemildesttermthatIcanfind，\"pursuedtheking。？\"Myideawastotakeandpunishrebels;
wasIboundtoinquirewhethertheserebelswereyourfriendsornot？\"
\"ButIwas，\"repliedD\'Artagnan。？\"Itwasacrueltyonyourmajesty\'sparttosendmetocapturemyfriendsandleadthemtoyourgibbets。\"
\"ItwasatrialIhadtomake，monsieur，ofpretendedservants，whoeatmybreadandshoulddefendmyperson。？Thetrialhassucceededill，Monsieurd\'Artagnan。\"
\"Foronebadservantyourmajestyloses，\"saidthemusketeer，withbitterness，\"therearetenwho，onthatsameday，gothroughalikeordeal。？Listentome，sire;Iamnotaccustomedtothatservice。？MineisarebelswordwhenIamrequiredtodoill。？ItwasilltosendmeinpursuitoftwomenwhoselivesM。Fouquet，yourmajesty\'spreserver，imploredyoutosave。？Stillfurther，thesemenweremyfriends。？Theydidnotattackyourmajesty，theysuccumbedtoyourblindanger。？Besides，whyweretheynotallowedtoescape？？Whatcrimehadtheycommitted？？Iadmityoumaycontestwithmetherightofjudgingtheirconduct。？Butwhysuspectmebeforetheaction？？Whysurroundmewithspies？？Whydisgracemebeforethearmy？？Whyme，inwhomtillnowyoushowedthemostentireconfidence—whoforthirtyyearshavebeenattachedtoyourperson，andhavegivenyouathousandproofsofmydevotion—foritmustbesaid，nowthatIamaccused—whyreducemetoseethreethousandoftheking\'ssoldiersmarchinbattleagainsttwomen？\"
\"Onewouldsayyouhaveforgottenwhatthesemenhavedonetome！\"saidtheking，inahollowvoice，\"andthatitwasnomeritoftheirsIwasnotlost。\"
\"Sire，onewouldimagineyouforgetthatIwasthere。\"
\"Enough，Monsieurd\'Artagnan，enoughofthesedominatinginterestswhicharisetokeepthesunitselffrommyinterests。？Iamfoundingastateinwhichthereshallbebutonemaster，asIpromisedyou;themomentisathandformetokeepmypromise。？Youwishtobe，accordingtoyourtastesorprivatefriendships，freetodestroymyplansandsavemyenemies？？I
willthwartyouorwilldropyou—seekamorecompliantmaster。？IknowfullwellthatanotherkingwouldnotconducthimselfasIdo，andwouldallowhimselftobedominatedbyyou，attheriskofsendingyousomedaytokeepcompanywithM。Fouquetandtherest;butIhaveanexcellentmemory，andforme，servicesaresacredtitlestogratitude，toimpunity。？Youshallonlyhavethislesson，Monsieurd\'Artagnan，asthepunishmentofyourwantofdiscipline，andIwillnotimitatemypredecessorsinanger，nothavingimitatedtheminfavor。？And，then，otherreasonsmakemeactmildlytowardsyou;inthefirstplace，becauseyouareamanofsense，amanofexcellentsense，amanofheart，andthatyouwillbeacapitalservanttohimwhoshallhavemasteredyou;secondly，becauseyouwillceasetohaveanymotivesforinsubordination。？Yourfriendsarenowdestroyedorruinedbyme。？ThesesupportsonwhichyourcapriciousmindinstinctivelyreliedIhavecausedtodisappear。？Atthismoment，mysoldiershavetakenorkilledtherebelsofBelle—Isle。\"
D\'Artagnanbecamepale。？\"Takenorkilled！\"criedhe。？\"Oh！sire，ifyouthoughtwhatyoutell，ifyouweresureyouweretellingmethetruth，I
shouldforgetallthatisjust，allthatismagnanimousinyourwords，tocallyouabarbarousking，andanunnaturalman。？ButIpardonyouthesewords，\"saidhe，smilingwithpride;\"I
pardonthemtoayoungprincewhodoesnotknow，whocannotcomprehendwhatsuchmenasM。d\'Herblay，M。duVallon，andmyselfare。？Takenorkilled！？Ah！？Ah！sire！tellme，ifthenewsistrue，howmuchhasitcostyouinmenandmoney。？Wewillthenreckonifthegamehasbeenworththestakes。\"
Ashespokethus，thekingwentuptohimingreatanger，andsaid，\"Monsieurd\'Artagnan，yourrepliesarethoseofarebel！？Tellme，ifyouplease，whoiskingofFrance？？Doyouknowanyother？\"
\"Sire，\"
repliedthecaptainofthemusketeers，coldly，\"IverywellrememberthatonemorningatVauxyouaddressedthatquestiontomanypeoplewhodidnotanswertoit，whilstI，onmypart，didanswertoit。？IfIrecognizedmykingonthatday，whenthethingwasnoteasy，Ithinkitwouldbeuselesstoaskthequestionofmenow，whenyourmajestyandIarealone。\"
AtthesewordsLouiscastdownhiseyes。？ItappearedtohimthattheshadeoftheunfortunatePhilippepassedbetweenD\'Artagnanandhimself，toevoketheremembranceofthatterribleadventure。？Almostatthesamemomentanofficerenteredandplacedadispatchinthehandsoftheking，who，inhisturn，changedcolor，whilereadingit。
\"Monsieur，\"
saidhe，\"whatIlearnhereyouwouldknowlater;itisbetterIshouldtellyou，andthatyoushouldlearnitfromthemouthofyourking。？AbattlehastakenplaceatBelle—Isle。\"
\"Isitpossible？\"saidD\'Artagnan，withacalmair，thoughhisheartwasbeatingfastenoughtochokehim。？\"Well，sire？\"
\"Well，monsieur—andIhavelostahundredandtenmen。\"
A
beamofjoyandprideshoneintheeyesofD\'Artagnan。？\"Andtherebels？\"saidhe。
\"Therebelshavefled，\"saidtheking。
D\'Artagnancouldnotrestrainacryoftriumph。？\"Only，\"addedtheking，\"IhaveafleetwhichcloselyblockadesBelle—Isle，andIamcertainnotabarkcanescape。\"
\"Sothat，\"saidthemusketeer，broughtbacktohisdismalidea，\"ifthesetwogentlemenaretaken—\"
\"Theywillbehanged，\"saidtheking，quietly。
\"Anddotheyknowit？\"repliedD\'Artagnan，repressinghistrembling。
\"Theyknowit，becauseyoumusthavetoldthemyourself;andallthecountryknowsit。\"
\"Then，sire，theywillneverbetakenalive，Iwillanswerforthat。\"
\"Ah！\"
saidtheking，negligently，andtakinguphisletteragain。？\"Verywell，theywillbedead，then，Monsieurd\'Artagnan，andthatwillcometothesamething，sinceIshouldonlytakethemtohavethemhanged。\"
D\'Artagnanwipedthesweatwhichflowedfromhisbrow。
\"I
havetoldyou，\"pursuedLouisXIV。，\"thatIwouldonedaybeanaffectionate，generous，andconstantmaster。？Youarenowtheonlymanofformertimesworthyofmyangerormyfriendship。？Iwillnotspareyoueithersentiment，accordingtoyourconduct。？Couldyouserveaking，Monsieurd\'Artagnan，whoshouldhaveahundredkings，hisequals，inthekingdom？？CouldI，tellme，dowithsuchweakinstrumentsthegreatthingsI
meditate？？Didyoueverseeanartisteffectgreatworkswithanunworthytool？？Farfromus，monsieur，theoldleavenoffeudalabuse！？TheFronde，whichthreatenedtoruinmonarchy，hasemancipatedit。？Iammasterathome，Captaind\'Artagnan，andIshallhaveservantswho，lacking，perhaps，yourgenius，willcarrydevotionandobediencetothevergeofheroism。？Ofwhatconsequence，Iaskyou，ofwhatconsequenceisitthatGodhasgivennosensetoarmsandlegs？？Itistotheheadhehasgivengenius，andthehead，youknow，therestobey。？Iamthehead。\"
D\'Artagnanstarted。？LouisXIV。continuedasifhehadseennothing，althoughthisemotionhadnotbyanymeansescapedhim。？\"Now，letusconcludebetweenustwothebargainIpromisedtomakewithyouonedaywhenyoufoundmeinaverystrangepredicamentatBlois。？Domejustice，monsieur，whenyouadmitIdonotmakeanyonepayforthetearsofshamethatIthenshed。？Lookaroundyou;loftyheadshavebowed。？Bowyours，orchoosesuchexileaswillsuityou。？Perhaps，whenreflectinguponit，youwillfindyourkinghasagenerousheart，whoreckonssufficientlyuponyourloyaltytoallowyoutoleavehimdissatisfied，whenyoupossessagreatstatesecret。？Youareabraveman;Iknowyoutobeso。？Whyhaveyoujudgedmeprematurely？？Judgemefromthisdayforward，D\'Artagnan，andbeassevereasyouplease。\"
D\'Artagnanremainedbewildered，mute，undecidedforthefirsttimeinhislife。？Atlasthehadfoundanadversaryworthyofhim。？Thiswasnolongertrick，itwascalculation;nolongerviolence，butstrength;nolongerpassion，butwill;nolongerboasting，butcouncil。？ThisyoungmanwhohadbroughtdownaFouquet，andcoulddowithoutaD\'Artagnan，derangedthesomewhatheadstrongcalculationsofthemusketeer。
\"Come，letusseewhatstopsyou？\"saidtheking，kindly。？\"Youhavegiveninyourresignation;
shallIrefusetoacceptit？？Iadmitthatitmaybehardforsuchanoldcaptaintorecoverlostgood—humor。\"
\"Oh！\"
repliedD\'Artagnan，inamelancholytone，\"thatisnotmymostseriouscare。？IhesitatetotakebackmyresignationbecauseIamoldincomparisonwithyou，andhavehabitsdifficulttoabandon。？Henceforward，youmusthavecourtierswhoknowhowtoamuseyou—madmenwhowillgetthemselveskilledtocarryoutwhatyoucallyourgreatworks。？Greattheywillbe，Ifeel—but，ifbychanceIshouldnotthinkthemso？？Ihaveseenwar，sire，Ihaveseenpeace;IhaveservedRichelieuandMazarin;Ihavebeenscorchedwithyourfather，atthefireofRochelle;riddledwithsword—thrustslikeasieve，havinggrownanewskintentimes，asserpentsdo。？Afteraffrontsandinjustices，Ihaveacommandwhichwasformerlysomething，becauseitgavethebearertherightofspeakingashelikedtohisking。？Butyourcaptainofthemusketeerswillhenceforwardbeanofficerguardingtheouterdoors。？Truly，sire，ifthatistobemyemploymentfromthistime，seizetheopportunityofourbeingongoodterms，totakeitfromme。？DonotimaginethatIbearmalice;no，youhavetamedme，asyousay;butitmustbeconfessedthatintamingmeyouhaveloweredme;bybowingmeyouhaveconvictedmeofweakness。？Ifyouknewhowwellitsuitsmetocarrymyheadhigh，andwhatapitifulmienIshallhavewhilescentingthedustofyourcarpets！？Oh！sire，Iregretsincerely，andyouwillregretasIdo，theolddayswhenthekingofFrancesawineveryvestibulethoseinsolentgentlemen，lean，alwaysswearing—cross—grainedmastiffs，whocouldbitemortallyinthehourofdangerorofbattle。？Thesemenwerethebestofcourtierstothehandwhichfedthem—theywouldlickit;butforthehandthatstruckthem，oh！thebitethatfollowed！？Alittlegoldonthelaceoftheircloaks，aslenderstomachintheirhauts—de—chausses，alittlesparklingofgrayintheirdryhair，andyouwillbeholdthehandsomedukesandpeers，thehaughtymar閏hauxofFrance。？ButwhyshouldItellyouallthis？？Thekingismaster;hewillsthatIshouldmakeverses，hewillsthatIshouldpolishthemosaicsofhisante—chamberswithsatinshoes。？Mordioux！thatisdifficult，butIhavegotovergreaterdifficulties。？Iwilldoit。？WhyshouldIdoit？？BecauseIlovemoney？—Ihaveenough。？BecauseIamambitious？—mycareerisalmostatanend。？BecauseIlovethecourt？？No。？IwillremainherebecauseIhavebeenaccustomedforthirtyyearstogoandtaketheorderlywordoftheking，andtohavesaidtome\'Goodevening，D\'Artagnan，\'witha？smileI
didnotbegfor。？ThatsmileIwillbegfor！？Areyoucontent，sire？\"？AndD\'Artagnanbowedhissilverhead，uponwhichthesmilingkingplacedhiswhitehandwithpride。？\"Thanks，myoldservant，myfaithfulfriend，\"saidhe。？\"As，reckoningfromthisday，IhavenolongeranyenemiesinFrance，itremainswithmetosendyoutoaforeignfieldtogatheryourmarshal\'sbaton。？Dependuponmeforfindingyouanopportunity。？Inthemeanwhile，eatofmyverybestbread，andsleepinabsolutetranquillity。\"
\"Thatisallkindandwell！\"saidD\'Artagnan，muchagitated。？\"ButthosepoormenatBelle—Isle？？Oneofthem，inparticular—sogood！sobrave！sotrue！\"
\"Doyouasktheirpardonofme？\"
\"Uponmyknees，sire！\"
\"Well！
then，goandtakeittothem，ifitbestillintime。？Butdoyouanswerforthem？\"
\"Withmylife，sire。\"
\"Go，then。？To—morrowIsetoutforParis。？Returnbythattime，forIdonotwishyoutoleavemeinthefuture。\"
\"Beassuredofthat，sire，\"saidD\'Artagnan，kissingtheroyalhand。
Andwithaheartswellingwithjoy，herushedoutofthecastleonhiswaytoBelle—Isle。
ChapterLIV:
M。
Fouquet\'sFriends。
ThekinghadreturnedtoParis，andwithhimD\'Artagnan，who，intwenty—fourhours，havingmadewithgreatestcareallpossibleinquiriesatBelle—Isle，succeededinlearningnothingofthesecretsowellkeptbytheheavyrockofLocmaria，whichhadfallenontheheroicPorthos。？Thecaptainofthemusketeersonlyknewwhatthosetwovaliantmen—
thesetwofriends，whosedefensehehadsonoblytakenup，whoseliveshehadsoearnestlyendeavoredtosave—aidedbythreefaithfulBretons，hadaccomplishedagainstawholearmy。？Hehadseen，spreadontheneighboringheath，thehumanremainswhichhadstainedwithcloutedbloodthescatteredstonesamongthefloweringbroom。？Helearnedalsothatabarkhadbeenseenfaroutatsea，andthat，likeabirdofprey，aroyalvesselhadpursued，overtaken，anddevouredthepoorlittlebirdthatwasflyingwithsuchpalpitatingwings。？ButthereD\'Artagnan\'scertaintiesended。？Thefieldofsuppositionwasthrownopen。？Now，whatcouldheconjecture？？Thevesselhadnotreturned。？Itistruethatabriskwindhadprevailedforthreedays;butthecorvettewasknowntobeagoodsailerandsolidinitstimbers;ithadnoneedtofearagaleofwind，anditought，accordingtothecalculationofD\'Artagnan，tohaveeitherreturnedtoBrest，orcomebacktothemouthoftheLoire。？Suchwasthenews，ambiguous，itistrue，butinsomedegreereassuringtohimpersonally，whichD\'ArtagnanbroughttoLouisXIV。，whentheking，followedbyallthecourt，returnedtoParis。
Louis，satisfiedwithhissuccess—Louis，moremildandaffableashefelthimselfmorepowerful—hadnotceasedforaninstanttoridebesidethecarriagedoorofMademoiselledelaValli鑢e。？Everybodywasanxioustoamusethetwoqueens，soastomakethemforgetthisabandonmentbysonandhusband。？Everythingbreathedthefuture，thepastwasnothingtoanybody。？Onlythatpastwaslikeapainfulbleedingwoundtotheheartsofcertaintenderanddevotedspirits。？ScarcelywasthekingreinstalledinParis，whenhereceivedatouchingproofofthis。？LouisXIV。hadjustrisenandtakenhisfirstrepastwhenhiscaptainofthemusketeerspresentedhimselfbeforehim。？D\'Artagnanwaspaleandlookedunhappy。？Theking，atthefirstglance，perceivedthechangeinacountenancegenerallysounconcerned。？\"Whatisthematter，D\'Artagnan？\"saidhe。
\"Sire，agreatmisfortunehashappenedtome。\"
\"Goodheavens！whatisthat？\"
\"Sire，Ihavelostoneofmyfriends，M。duVallon，intheaffairofBelle—Isle。\"
And，whilespeakingthesewords，D\'ArtagnanfixedhisfalconeyeuponLouisXIV。，tocatchthefirstfeelingthatwouldshowitself。
\"I
knewit，\"repliedtheking，quietly。
\"Youknewit，anddidnottellme！\"criedthemusketeer。
\"Towhatgood？？Yourgrief，myfriend，wassowellworthyofrespect。？Itwasmydutytotreatitgently。？Tohaveinformedyouofthismisfortune，whichIknewwouldpainyousogreatly，D\'Artagnan，wouldhavebeen，inyoureyes，tohavetriumphedoveryou。？Yes，IknewthatM。duVallonhadburiedhimselfbeneaththerocksofLocmaria;IknewthatM。d\'Herblayhadtakenoneofmyvesselswithitscrew，andhadcompelledittoconveyhimtoBayonne。？ButIwaswillingyoushouldlearnthesemattersinadirectmanner，inorderthatyoumightbeconvincedmyfriendsarewithmerespectedandsacred;thatalwaysinmethemanwillsacrificehimselftosubjects，whilstthekingissooftenfoundtosacrificementomajestyandpower。\"
\"But，sire，howcouldyouknow？\"
\"Howdoyouyourselfknow，D\'Artagnan？\"
\"Bythisletter，sire，whichM。d\'Herblay，freeandoutofdanger，writesmefromBayonne。\"
\"Lookhere，\"saidtheking，drawingfromacasketplaceduponthetableclosettotheseatuponwhichD\'Artagnanwasleaning，\"hereisalettercopiedexactlyfromthatofM。d\'Herblay。？Hereistheveryletter，whichColbertplacedinmyhandsaweekbeforeyoureceivedyours。？Iamwellserved，youmayperceive。\"
\"Yes，sire，\"murmuredthemusketeer，\"youweretheonlymanwhosestarwasequaltothetaskofdominatingthefortuneandstrengthofmytwofriends。？Youhaveusedyourpower，sire，youwillnotabuseit，willyou？\"
\"D\'Artagnan，\"
saidtheking，withasmilebeamingwithkindness，\"IcouldhaveM。
d\'HerblaycarriedofffromtheterritoriesofthekingofSpain，andbroughthere，alive，toinflictjusticeuponhim。？But，D\'Artagnan，beassuredIwillnotyieldtothisfirstandnaturalimpulse。？Heisfree—lethimcontinuefree。\"
\"Oh，sire！
youwillnotalwaysremainsoclement，sonoble，sogenerousasyouhaveshownyourselfwithrespecttomeandM。d\'Herblay;youwillhaveaboutyoucounselorswhowillcureyouofthatweakness。\"
\"No，D\'Artagnan，youaremistakenwhenyouaccusemycouncilofurgingmetopursuerigorousmeasures。？TheadvicetospareM。d\'HerblaycomesfromColberthimself。\"
\"Oh，sire！\"saidD\'Artagnan，extremelysurprised。
\"Asforyou，\"continuedtheking，withakindnessveryuncommontohim，\"I
haveseveralpiecesofgoodnewstoannouncetoyou;butyoushallknowthem，mydearcaptain，themomentIhavemademyaccountsallstraight。？IhavesaidthatIwishtomake，andwouldmake，yourfortune;thatpromisewillsoonbecomereality。\"
\"Athousandtimesthanks，sire！？Icanwait。？ButIimploreyou，whilstIgoandpracticepatience，thatyourmajestywilldeigntonoticethosepoorpeoplewhohaveforsolongatimebesiegedyourante—chamber，andcomehumblytolayapetitionatyourfeet。\"
\"Whoarethey？\"
\"Enemiesofyourmajesty。\"？Thekingraisedhishead。
\"FriendsofM。Fouquet，\"addedD\'Artagnan。
\"Theirnames？\"
\"M。
Gourville，M。P閘isson，andapoet，M。JeandelaFontaine。\"
Thekingtookamomenttoreflect。？\"Whatdotheywant？\"
\"Idonotknow。\"
\"Howdotheyappear？\"
\"Ingreataffliction。\"
\"Whatdotheysay？\"
\"Nothing。\"
\"Whatdotheydo？\"
\"Theyweep。\"
\"Letthemcomein，\"saidtheking，withaseriousbrow。
D\'Artagnanturnedrapidlyonhisheel，raisedthetapestrywhichclosedtheentrancetotheroyalchamber，anddirectinghisvoicetotheadjoiningroom，cried，\"Enter。\"
ThethreemenD\'Artagnanhadnamedimmediatelyappearedatthedoorofthecabinetinwhichwerethekingandhiscaptain。？A
profoundsilenceprevailedintheirpassage。？Thecourtiers，attheapproachofthefriendsoftheunfortunatesuperintendentoffinances，drewback，asiffearfulofbeingaffectedbycontagionwithdisgraceandmisfortune。？D\'Artagnan，withaquickstep，cameforwardtotakebythehandtheunhappymenwhostoodtremblingatthedoorofthecabinet;heledtheminfrontoftheking\'sfauteuil，who，havingplacedhimselfintheembrasureofawindow，awaitedthemomentofpresentation，andwaspreparinghimselftogivethesupplicantsarigorouslydiplomaticreception。