The closet into which D'Artagnan and Porthos had beenushered was separated from the drawing-room where the queenwas by tapestried curtains only, and this thin partitionenabled them to hear all that passed in the adjoining room,whilst the aperture between the two hangings, small as itwas, permitted them to see.

The queen was standing in the room, pale with anger; herself-control, however, was so great that it might have beenimagined that she was calm. Comminges, Villequier andGuitant were behind her and the women again were behind themen. The Chancellor Sequier, who twenty years previously hadpersecuted her so ruthlessly, stood before her, relating howhis carriage had been smashed, how he had been pursued andhad rushed into the Hotel d'O - - , that the hotel wasimmediately invaded, pillaged and devastated; happily he hadtime to reach a closet hidden behind tapestry, in which hewas secreted by an old woman, together with his brother, theBishop of Meaux. Then the danger was so imminent, therioters came so near, uttering such threats, that thechancellor thought his last hour had come and confessedhimself to his brother priest, so as to be all ready to diein case he was discovered. Fortunately, however, he had notbeen taken; the people, believing that he had escaped bysome back entrance, retired and left him at liberty toretreat. Then, disguised in he clothes of the Marquis d'O- - , he had left the hotel, stumbling over the bodies ofan officer and two guards who had been killed whilstdefending the street door.

During the recital Mazarin entered and glided noiselessly upto the queen to listen.

"Well," said the queen, when the chancellor had finishedspeaking; "what do you think of it all?"

"I think that matters look very gloomy, madame."

"But what step would you propose to me?"

"I could propose one to your majesty, but I dare not."

"You may, you may, sir," said the queen with a bitter smile;"you were not so timid once."

The chancellor reddened and stammered some words.

"It is not a question of the past, but of the present," saidthe queen; "you said you could give me advice - what isit?"

"Madame," said the chancellor, hesitating, "it would be torelease Broussel."

The queen, although already pale, became visibly paler andher face was contracted.

"Release Broussel!" she cried, "never!"

At this moment steps were heard in the ante-room and withoutany announcement the Marechal de la Meilleraie appeared atthe door.

"Ah, there you are, marechal," cried Anne of Austriajoyfully. "I trust you have brought this rabble to reason."

"Madame," replied the marechal, "I have left three men onthe Pont Neuf, four at the Halle, six at the corner of theRue de l'Arbre-Sec and two at the door of your palace - fifteen in all. I have brought away ten or twelve wounded. Iknow not where I have left my hat, and in all probability Ishould have been left with my hat, had the coadjutor notarrived in time to rescue me."

"Ah, indeed," said the queen, "it would have much astonishedme if that low cur, with his distorted legs, had not beenmixed up with all this."

"Madame," said La Meilleraie, "do not say too much againsthim before me, for the service he rendered me is stillfresh."

"Very good," said the queen, "be as grateful as you like, itdoes not implicate me; you are here safe and sound, that isall I wished for; you are not only welcome, but welcomeback."

"Yes, madame; but I only came back on one condition - thatI would transmit to your majesty the will of the people."

"The will!" exclaimed the queen, frowning. "Oh! oh! monsieurmarechal, you must indeed have found yourself in wondrousperil to have undertaken so strange a commission!"

The irony with which these words were uttered did not escapethe marechal.

"Pardon, madame," he said, "I am not a lawyer, I am a meresoldier, and probably, therefore, I do not quite comprehendthe value of certain words; I ought to have said the wishes,and not the will, of the people. As for what you do me thehonor to say, I presume you mean I was afraid?"

The queen smiled.

"Well, then, madame, yes, I did feel fear; and though I havebeen through twelve pitched battles and I cannot count howmany charges and skirmishes, I own for the third time in mylife I was afraid. Yes, and I would rather face yourmajesty, however threatening your smile, than face thosedemons who accompanied me hither and who sprung from I knownot whence, unless from deepest hell."

(" Bravo," said D'Artagnan in a whisper to Porthos; "wellanswered.")

"Well," said the queen, biting her lips, whilst hercourtiers looked at each other with surprise, "what is thedesire of my people?"

"That Broussel shall be given up to them, madame."

"Never!" said the queen, "never!"

"Your majesty is mistress," said La Meilleraie, retreating afew steps.

"Where are you going, marechal?" asked the queen.

"To give your majesty's reply to those who await it."

"Stay, marechal; I will not appear to parley with rebels."

"Madame, I have pledged my word, and unless you order me tobe arrested I shall be forced to return."

Anne of Austria's eyes shot glances of fire.

"Oh! that is no impediment, sir," said she; "I have hadgreater men than you arrested - Guitant!"

Mazarin sprang forward.

"Madame, "said he, "if I dared in my turn advise - - "

"Would it be to give up Broussel, sir? If so, you can spareyourself the trouble."

"No," said Mazarin; "although, perhaps, that counsel is asgood as any other."

"Then what may it be?"

"To call for monsieur le coadjuteur."

"The coadjutor!" cried the queen, "that dreadful mischiefmaker! It is he who has raised all this revolt."

"The more reason," said Mazarin; "if he has raised it he canput it down."

"And hold, madame," suggested Comminges, who was near awindow, out of which he could see; "hold, the moment is ahappy one, for there he is now, giving his blessing in thesquare of the Palais Royal."

The queen sprang to the window.

"It is true," she said, "the arch hypocrite - see!"

"I see," said Mazarin, "that everybody kneels before him,although he be but coadjutor, whilst I, were I in his place,though I am cardinal, should be torn to pieces. I persist,then, madame, in my wish" (he laid an emphasis on the word),"that your majesty should receive the coadjutor."

"And wherefore do you not say, like the rest, your will?"replied the queen, in a low voice.

Mazarin bowed.

"Monsieur le marechal," said the queen, after a moment'sreflection, "go and find the coadjutor and bring him to me."

"And what shall I say to the people?"

"That they must have patience," said Anne, "as I have."

The fiery Spanish woman spoke in a tone so imperative thatthe marechal made no reply; he bowed and went out.

(D'Artagnan turned to Porthos. "How will this end?" he said.

"We shall soon see," said Porthos, in his tranquil way.)

In the meantime Anne of Austria approached Comminges andconversed with him in a subdued tone, whilst Mazarin glanceduneasily at the corner occupied by D'Artagnan and Porthos.Ere long the door opened and the marechal entered, followedby the coadjutor.

"There, madame," he said, "is Monsieur Gondy, who hastens toobey your majesty's summons."

The queen advanced a few steps to meet him, and thenstopped, cold, severe, unmoved, with her lower lipscornfully protruded.

Gondy bowed respectfully.

"Well, sir," said the queen, "what is your opinion of thisriot?"

"That it is no longer a riot, madame," he replied, "but arevolt."

"The revolt is at the door of those who think my people canrebel," cried Anne, unable to dissimulate before thecoadjutor, whom she looked upon, and probably with reason,as the promoter of the tumult. "Revolt! thus it is called bythose who have wished for this demonstration and who are,perhaps, the cause of it; but, wait, wait! the king'sauthority will put all this to rights."

"Was it to tell me that, madame," coldly replied Gondy,"that your majesty admitted me to the honor of entering yourpresence?"

"No, my dear coadjutor," said Mazarin; "it was to ask youradvice in the unhappy dilemma in which we find ourselves."

"Is it true," asked Gondy, feigning astonishment, "that hermajesty summoned me to ask for my opinion?"

"Yes," said the queen, "it is requested."

The coadjutor bowed.

"Your majesty wishes, then - - "

"You to say what you would do in her place," Mazarinhastened to reply.

The coadjutor looked at the queen, who replied by a sign inthe affirmative.

"Were I in her majesty's place," said Gondy, coldly, "Ishould not hesitate; I should release Broussel."

"And if I do not give him up, what think you will be theresult?" exclaimed the queen.

"I believe that not a stone in Paris will remain unturned,"put in the marechal.

"It was not your opinion that I asked," said the queen,sharply, without even turning around.

"If it is I whom your majesty interrogates," replied thecoadjutor in the same calm manner, "I reply that I holdmonsieur le marechal's opinion in every respect."

The color mounted to the queen's face; her fine blue eyesseemed to start out of her head and her carmine lips,compared by all the poets of the day to a pomegranate inflower, were trembling with anger. Mazarin himself, who waswell accustomed to the domestic outbreaks of this disturbedhousehold, was alarmed.

"Give up Broussel!" she cried; "fine counsel, indeed. Uponmy word! one can easily see it comes from a priest.

Gondy remained firm, and the abuse of the day seemed toglide over his head as the sarcasms of the evening beforehad done; but hatred and revenge were accumulating in hisheart silently and drop by drop. He looked coldly at thequeen, who nudged Mazarin to make him say something in histurn.

Mazarin, according to his custom, was thinking much andsaying little.

"Ho! ho!" said he, "good advice, advice of a friend. I, too,would give up that good Monsieur Broussel, dead or alive,and all would be at an end."

"If you yield him dead, all will indeed be at an end, mylord, but quite otherwise than you mean."

"Did I say `dead or alive?'" replied Mazarin. "It was only away of speaking. You know I am not familiar with the Frenchlanguage, which you, monsieur le coadjuteur, both speak andwrite so well."

("This is a council of state," D'Artagnan remarked toPorthos; "but we held better ones at La Rochelle, with Athosand Aramis."

"At the Saint Gervais bastion," said Porthos.

"There and elsewhere.")

The coadjutor let the storm pass over his head and resumed,still with the same tranquillity:

"Madame, if the opinion I have submitted to you does notplease you it is doubtless because you have better counselsto follow. I know too well the wisdom of the queen and thatof her advisers to suppose that they will leave the capitallong in trouble that may lead to a revolution."

"Thus, then, it is your opinion," said Anne of Austria, witha sneer and biting her lips with rage, "that yesterday'sriot, which to-day is already a rebellion, to-morrow maybecome a revolution?"

"Yes, madame," replied the coadjutor, gravely.

"But if I am to believe you, sir, the people seem to havethrown off all restraint."

"It is a bad year for kings," said Gondy, shaking his head;"look at England, madame."

"Yes; but fortunately we have no Oliver Cromwell in France,"replied the queen.

"Who knows?" said Gondy; "such men are like thunderbolts - one recognizes them only when they have struck."

Every one shuddered and there was a moment of silence,during which the queen pressed her hand to her side,evidently to still the beatings of her heart.

("Porthos," murmured D'Artagnan, "look well at that priest."

"Yes," said Porthos, "I see him. What then?"

"Well, he is a man."

Porthos looked at D'Artagnan in astonishment. Evidently hedid not understand his meaning.)

"Your majesty," continued the coadjutor, pitilessly, "isabout to take such measures as seem good to you, but Iforesee that they will be violent and such as will stillfurther exasperate the rioters."

"In that case, you, monsieur le coadjuteur, who have suchpower over them and are at the same time friendly to us,"said the queen, ironically, "will quiet them by bestowingyour blessing upon them."

"Perhaps it will be too late," said Gondy, still unmoved;"perhaps I shall have lost all influence; while by giving upBroussel your majesty will strike at the root of thesedition and will gain the right to punish severely anyrevival of the revolt."

"Have I not, then, that right?" cried the queen.

"If you have it, use it," replied Gondy.

("Peste!" said D'Artagnan to Porthos. "There is a man aftermy own heart. Oh! if he were minister and I were hisD'Artagnan, instead of belonging to that beast of a Mazarin,mordieu! what fine things we would do together!"

"Yes," said Porthos.)

The queen made a sign for every one, except Mazarin, to quitthe room; and Gondy bowed, as if to leave with the rest.

"Stay, sir," said Anne to him.

"Good," thought Gondy, "she is going to yield."

("She is going to have him killed," said D'Artagnan toPorthos, "but at all events it shall not be by me. I swearto Heaven, on the contrary, that if they fall upon him Iwill fall upon them."

"And I, too," said Porthos.)

"Good," muttered Mazarin, sitting down, "we shall soon seesomething startling."

The queen's eyes followed the retreating figures and whenthe last had closed the door she turned away. It was evidentthat she was making unnatural efforts to subdue her anger;she fanned herself, smelled at her vinaigrette and walked upand down. Gondy, who began to feel uneasy, examined thetapestry with his eyes, touched the coat of mail which hewore under his long gown and felt from time to time to seeif the handle of a good Spanish dagger, which was hiddenunder his cloak, was well within reach.

"And now," at last said the queen, "now that we are alone,repeat your counsel, monsieur le coadjuteur."

"It is this, madame: that you should appear to havereflected, and publicly acknowledge an error, whichconstitutes the extra strength of a strong government;release Broussel from prison and give him back to thepeople."

"Oh!" cried Anne, "to humble myself thus! Am I, or am I not,the queen? This screaming mob, are they, or are they not, mysubjects? Have I friends? Have I guards? Ah! by Notre Dame!as Queen Catherine used to say," continued she, excited byher own words, "rather than give up this infamous Brousselto them I will strangle him with my own hands!"

And she sprang toward Gondy, whom assuredly at that momentshe hated more than Broussel, with outstretched arms. Thecoadjutor remained immovable and not a muscle of his facewas discomposed; only his glance flashed like a sword inreturning the furious looks of the queen.

("He were a dead man)" said the Gascon, "if there were stilla Vitry at the court and if Vitry entered at this moment;but for my part, before he could reach the good prelate Iwould kill Vitry at once; the cardinal would be infinitelypleased with me."

"Hush!" said Porthos; "listen.")

"Madame," cried the cardinal, seizing hold of Anne anddrawing her back, "Madame, what are you about?"

Then he added in Spanish, "Anne, are you mad? You, a queento quarrel like a washerwoman! And do you not perceive thatin the person of this priest is represented the whole peopleof Paris and that it is dangerous to insult him at thismoment, and if this priest wished it, in an hour you wouldbe without a crown? Come, then, on another occasion you canbe firm and strong; but to-day is not the proper time;to-day, flatter and caress, or you are only a common woman."

(At the first words of this address D'Artagnan had seizedPorthos's arm, which he pressed with gradually increasingforce. When Mazarin ceased speaking he said to Porthos in alow tone:

"Never tell Mazarin that I understand Spanish, or I am alost man and you are also."

"All right," said Porthos.)

This rough appeal, marked by the eloquence whichcharacterized Mazarin when he spoke in Italian or Spanishand which he lost entirely in speaking French, was utteredwith such impenetrable expression that Gondy, cleverphysiognomist as he was, had no suspicion of its being morethan a simple warning to be more subdued.

The queen, on her part, thus chided, softened immediatelyand sat down, and in an almost weeping voice, letting herarms fall by her side, said:

"Pardon me, sir, and attribute this violence to what Isuffer. A woman, and consequently subject to the weaknessesof my sex, I am alarmed at the idea of civil war; a queen,accustomed to be obeyed, I am excited at the firstopposition."

"Madame," replied Gondy, bowing, "your majesty is mistakenin qualifying my sincere advice as opposition. Your majestyhas none but submissive and respectful subjects. It is notthe queen with whom the people are displeased; they ask forBroussel and are only too happy, if you release him to them,to live under your government."

Mazarin, who at the words, "It is not the queen with whomthe people are displeased," had pricked up his ears,thinking that the coadjutor was about to speak of the cries,"Down with Mazarin," and pleased with Gondy's suppression ofthis fact, he said with his sweetest voice and his mostgracious expression:

"Madame, credit the coadjutor, who is one of the most ablepoliticians we have; the first available cardinal's hatseems to belong already to his noble brow."

"Ah! how much you have need of me, cunning rogue!" thoughtGondy.

("And what will he promise us?" said D'Artagnan. "Peste, ifhe is giving away hats like that, Porthos, let us look outand both demand a regiment to-morrow. Corbleu! let the civilwar last but one year and I will have a constable's swordgilt for me."

"And for me?" put in Porthos.

"For you? I will give you the baton of the Marechal de laMeilleraie, who does not seem to be much in favor justnow.")

"And so, sir," said the queen, "you are seriously afraid ofa public tumult."

"Seriously," said Gondy, astonished at not having furtheradvanced; "I fear that when the torrent has broken itsembankment it will cause fearful destruction."

"And I," said the queen, "think that in such a case otherembankments should be raised to oppose it. Go; I willreflect."

Gondy looked at Mazarin, astonished, and Mazarin approachedthe queen to speak to her, but at this moment a frightfultumult arose from the square of the Palais Royal.

Gondy smiled, the queen's color rose and Mazarin grew evenpaler.

"What is that again?" he asked.

At this moment Comminges rushed into the room.

"Pardon, your majesty," he cried, "but the people havedashed the sentinels against the gates and they are nowforcing the doors; what are your commands?"

"Listen, madame," said Gondy.

The moaning of waves, the noise of thunder, the roaring of avolcano, cannot be compared with the tempest of cries heardat that moment.

"What are my commands?" said the queen.

"Yes, for time presses."

"How many men have you about the Palais Royal?"

"Six hundred."

"Place a hundred around the king and with the remaindersweep away this mob for me."

"Madame," cried Mazarin, "what are you about?"

"Go!" said the queen.

Comminges went out with a soldier's passive obedience.

At this moment a monstrous battering was heard. One of thegates began to yield.

"Oh! madame," cried Mazarin, "you have ruined us all - theking, yourself and me."

At this cry from the soul of the frightened cardinal, Annebecame alarmed in her turn and would have recalledComminges.

"It is too late," said Mazarin, tearing his hair, "toolate!"

The gale had given way. Hoarse shouts were heard from theexcited mob. D'Artagnan put his hand to his sword, motioningto Porthos to follow his example.

"Save the queen!" cried Mazarin to the coadjutor.

Gondy sprang to the window and threw it open; he recognizedLouvieres at the head of a troop of about three or fourthousand men.

"Not a step further," he shouted, "the queen is signing!"

"What are you saying?" asked the queen.

"The truth, madame," said Mazarin, placing a pen and a paperbefore her, "you must;" then he added: "Sign, Anne, Iimplore you - I command you."

The queen fell into a chair, took the pen and signed.

The people, kept back by Louvieres, had not made anotherstep forward; but the awful murmuring, which indicates anangry people, continued.

The queen had written, "The keeper of the prison at SaintGermain will set Councillor Broussel at liberty;" and shehad signed it.

The coadjutor, whose eyes devoured her slightest movements,seized the paper immediately the signature had been affixedto it, returned to the window and waved it in his hand.

"This is the order," he said.

All Paris seemed to shout with joy, and then the airresounded with the cries of "Long live Broussel!" "Long livethe coadjutor!"

"Long live the queen!" cried De Gondy; but the cries whichreplied to his were poor and few, and perhaps he had bututtered it to make Anne of Austria sensible of her weakness.

"And now that you have obtained what you want, go," saidshe, "Monsieur de Gondy."

"Whenever her majesty has need of me," replied thecoadjutor, bowing, "her majesty knows I am at her command."

"Ah, cursed priest!" cried Anne, when he had retired,stretching out her arm to the scarcely closed door, "one dayI will make you drink the dregs of the atrocious gall youhave poured out on me to-day."

Mazarin wished to approach her. "Leave me!" she exclaimed;"you are not a man!" and she went out of the room.

"It is you who are not a woman," muttered Mazarin.

Then, after a moment of reverie, he remembered where he hadleft D'Artagnan and Porthos and that they must haveoverheard everything. He knit his brows and went direct tothe tapestry, which he pushed aside. The closet was empty.

At the queen's last word, D'Artagnan had dragged Porthosinto the gallery. Thither Mazarin went in his turn and foundthe two friends walking up and down.

"Why did you leave the closet, Monsieur d'Artagnan?" askedthe cardinal.

"Because," replied D'Artagnan, "the queen desired every oneto leave and I thought that this command was intended for usas well as for the rest."

"And you have been here since - - "

"About a quarter of an hour," said D'Artagnan, motioning toPorthos not to contradict him.

Mazarin saw the sign and remained convinced that D'Artagnanhad seen and heard everything; but he was pleased with hisfalsehood.

"Decidedly, Monsieur d'Artagnan, you are the man I have beenseeking. You may reckon upon me and so may your friend."Then bowing to the two musketeers with his most gracioussmile, he re-entered his closet more calmly, for on thedeparture of De Gondy the uproar had ceased as though byenchantment.