Whilst the king was directing his course rapidly towards thewing of the castle occupied by the cardinal, taking nobodywith him but his valet de chambre, the officer of musketeerscame out, breathing like a man who has for a long time beenforced to hold his breath, from the little cabinet of whichwe have already spoken, and which the king believed to bequite solitary. This little cabinet had formerly been partof the chamber, from which it was only separated by a thinpartition. It resulted that this partition, which was onlyfor the eye, permitted the ear the least indiscreet to hearevery word spoken in the chamber.

There was no doubt, then, that this lieutenant of musketeershad heard all that passed in his majesty's apartment.

Warned by the last words of the young king, he came out justin time to salute him on his passage, and to follow him withhis eyes till he had disappeared in the corridor.

Then as soon as he had disappeared, he shook his head aftera fashion peculiarly his own, and in a voice which fortyyears' absence from Gascony had not deprived of its Gasconaccent, "A melancholy service," said he, "and a melancholymaster!"

These words pronounced, the lieutenant resumed his place inhis fauteuil, stretched his legs and closed his eyes, like aman who either sleeps or meditates.

During this short monologue and the mise en scene that hadaccompanied it, whilst the king, through the long corridorsof the old castle, proceeded to the apartment of M. deMazarin, a scene of another sort was being enacted in thoseapartments.

Mazarin was in bed, suffering a little from the gout. But ashe was a man of order, who utilized even pain, he forced hiswakefulness to be the humble servant of his labor. He hadconsequently ordered Bernouin, his valet de chambre, tobring him a little traveling-desk, so that he might write inbed. But the gout is not an adversary that allows itself tobe conquered so easily; therefore, at each movement he made,the pain from dull became sharp.

"Is Brienne there?" asked he of Bernouin.

"No, monseigneur," replied the valet de chambre; "M. deBrienne, with your permission, is gone to bed. But, if it isthe wish of your eminence, he can speedily be called."

"No, it is not worth while. Let us see, however. Cursedciphers!"

And the cardinal began to think, counting on his fingers thewhile.

"Oh, ciphers is it?" said Bernouin. "Very well! if youreminence attempts calculations, I will promise you a prettyheadache to-morrow! And with that please to remember M.Guenaud is not here."

"You are right, Bernouin. You must take Brienne's place, myfriend. Indeed, I ought to have brought M. Colbert with me.That young man goes on very well, Bernouin, very well; avery orderly youth."

"I do not know," said the valet de chambre, "but I don'tlike the countenance of your young man who goes on so well."

"Well, well, Bernouin! We don't stand in need of youradvice. Place yourself there: take the pen and write."

"I am ready, monseigneur; what am I to write?"

"There, that's the place: after the two lines alreadytraced."

"I am there."

"Write seven hundred and sixty thousand livres."

"That is written."

"Upon Lyons - - " The cardinal appeared to hesitate.

"Upon Lyons," repeated Bernouin.

"Three millions nine hundred thousand livres."

"Well, monseigneur?"

"Upon Bordeaux seven millions."

"Seven?" repeated Bernouin.

"Yes," said the cardinal, pettishly, "seven." Then,recollecting himself, "You understand, Bernouin," added he,"that all this money is to be spent?"

"Eh! monseigneur; whether it be to be spent or put away isof very little consequence to me, since none of thesemillions are mine."

"These millions are the king's; it is the king's money I amreckoning. Well, what were we saying? You always interruptme!"

"Seven millions upon Bordeaux."

"Ah! yes; that's right. Upon Madrid four millions. I giveyou to understand plainly to whom this money belongs,Bernouin, seeing that everybody has the stupidity to believeme rich in millions. I repel the silly idea. A minister,besides, has nothing of his own. Come, go on. Rentreesgenerales, seven millions; properties, nine millions. Haveyou written that, Bernouin?"

"Yes, monseigneur."

"Bourse, six hundred thousand livres; various property, twomillions. Ah! I forgot - the furniture of the differentchateaux - - "

"Must I put of the crown?" asked Bernouin.

"No, no, it is of no use doing that - that is understood.Have you written that, Bernouin?"

"Yes, monseigneur."

"And the ciphers?"

"Stand straight under one another."

"Cast them up, Bernouin."

"Thirty-nine millions two hundred and sixty thousand livres,monseigneur."

"Ah!" cried the cardinal, in a tone of vexation; "there arenot yet forty millions!"

Bernouin recommenced the addition.

"No, monseigneur; there want seven hundred and fortythousand livres."

Mazarin asked for the account, and revised it carefully.

"Yes, but," said Bernouin, "thirty-nine millions two hundredand sixty thousand livres make a good round sum."

"Ah, Bernouin, I wish the king had it."

"Your eminence told me that this money was his majesty's."

"Doubtless, as clear, as transparent as possible. Thesethirty-nine millions are bespoken, and much more."

Bernouin smiled after his own fashion - that is, like a manwho believes no more than he is willing to believe - whilstpreparing the cardinal's night draught, and putting hispillow to rights.

"Oh!" said Mazarin, when the valet had gone out; "not yetforty millions! I must, however, attain that sum, which Ihad set down for myself. But who knows whether I shall havetime? I sink, I am going, I shall never reach it! And yet,who knows that I may not find two or three millions in thepockets of my good friends the Spaniards? They discoveredPeru, those people did, and - what the devil! they musthave something left."

As he was speaking thus, entirely occupied with his ciphers,and thinking no more of his gout, repelled by apreoccupation which, with the cardinal, was the mostpowerful of all preoccupations, Bernouin rushed into thechamber, quite in a fright.

"Well!" asked the cardinal, "what is the matter now?"

"The king, monseigneur, - the king!"

"How? - the king!" said Mazarin, quickly concealing hispaper. "The king here! the king at this hour! I thought hewas in bed long ago. What is the matter, then?"

The king could hear these last words, and see the terrifiedgesture of the cardinal rising up in his bed, for he enteredthe chamber at that moment.

"It is nothing, monsieur le cardinal, or at least nothingwhich can alarm you. It is an important communication whichI wish to make to your eminence to-night - that is all."

Mazarin immediately thought of that marked attention whichthe king had given to his words concerning Mademoiselle deMancini, and the communication appeared to him probably torefer to this source. He recovered his serenity theninstantly, and assumed his most agreeable air, a change ofcountenance which inspired the king with the greatest joy;and when Louis was seated, -

"Sire," said the cardinal, "I ought certainly to listen toyour majesty standing, but the violence of my complaint - - "

"No ceremony between us, my dear monsieur le cardinal," saidLouis kindly: "I am your pupil, and not the king, you knowvery well, and this evening in particular, as I come to youas a petitioner, as a solicitor, and one very humble, anddesirous to be kindly received, too."

Mazarin, seeing the heightened color of the king, wasconfirmed in his first idea; that is to say, that lovethoughts were hidden under all these fine words. This time,political cunning, keen as it was, made a mistake; thiscolor was not caused by the bashfulness of a juvenilepassion, but only by the painful contraction of the royalpride.

Like a good uncle, Mazarin felt disposed to facilitate theconfidence.

"Speak, sire," said he, "and since your majesty is willingfor an instant to forget that I am your subject, and call meyour master and instructor, I promise your majesty my mostdevoted and tender consideration."

"Thanks, monsieur le cardinal," answered the king; "thatwhich I have to ask of your eminence has but little to dowith myself."

"So much the worse!" replied the cardinal, "so much theworse! Sire, I should wish your majesty to ask of mesomething of importance, even a sacrifice; but whatever itmay be that you ask me, I am ready to set your heart at restby granting it, my dear sire."

"Well, this is what brings me here," said the king, with abeating of the heart that had no equal except the beating ofthe heart of the minister; "I have just received a visitfrom my brother, the king of England."

Mazarin bounded in his bed as if he had been put in relationwith a Leyden jar or a voltaic pile, at the same time that asurprise, or rather a manifest disappointment, inflamed hisfeatures with such a blaze of anger, that Louis XIV., littlediplomatist as he was, saw that the minister had hoped tohear something else.

"Charles II.?" exclaimed Mazarin, with a hoarse voice and adisdainful movement of his lips. "You have received a visitfrom Charles II.?"

"From King Charles II.," replied Louis, according in amarked manner to the grandson of Henry IV. the title whichMazarin had forgotten to give him. "Yes, monsieur lecardinal, that unhappy prince has touched my heart with therelation of his misfortunes. His distress is great, monsieurle cardinal, and it has appeared painful to me, who haveseen my own throne disputed, who have been forced in timesof commotion to quit my capital, - to me, in short, who amacquainted with misfortune, - to leave a deposed andfugitive brother without assistance."

"Eh!" said the cardinal, sharply; "why had he not, as youhave, a Jules Mazarin by his side? His crown would then haveremained intact."

"I know all that my house owes to your eminence," repliedthe king, haughtily, "and you may believe well that I, on mypart, shall never forget it. It is precisely because mybrother the king of England has not about him the powerfulgenius who has saved me, it is for that, I say, that I wishto conciliate the aid of that same genius, and beg you toextend your arm over his head, well assured, monsieur lecardinal, that your hand, by touching him only, would knowhow to replace upon his brow the crown which fell at thefoot of his father's scaffold."

"Sire," replied Mazarin, "I thank you for your good opinionwith regard to myself, but we have nothing to do yonder:they are a set of madmen who deny God, and cut off the headsof their kings. They are dangerous, observe, sire, andfilthy to the touch after having wallowed in royal blood andcovenantal murder. That policy has never suited me, - Iscorn it and reject it."

"Therefore you ought to assist in establishing a better."

"What is that?"

"The restoration of Charles II., for example."

"Good heavens!" cried Mazarin, "does the poor prince flatterhimself with that chimera?"

"Yes, he does," replied the young king, terrified at thedifficulties opposed to this project, which he fancied hecould perceive in the infallible eye of his minister; "heonly asks for a million to carry out his purpose."

"Is that all - a little million, if you please!" said thecardinal, ironically, with an effort to conquer his Italianaccent. "A little million, if you please, brother! Bah! afamily of mendicants!"

"Cardinal," said Louis, raising his head, "that family ofmendicants is a branch of my family."

"Are you rich enough to give millions to other people, sire?Have you millions to throw away?"

"Oh!" replied Louis XIV., with great pain, which he,however, by a strong effort, prevented from appearing on hiscountenance; - "oh! yes, monsieur le cardinal, I am wellaware I am poor, and yet the crown of France is worth amillion, and to perform a good action I would pledge mycrown if it were necessary. I could find Jews who would bewilling to lend me a million."

"So, sire, you say you want a million?" said Mazarin.

"Yes, monsieur, I say so."

"You are mistaken, greatly mistaken, sire; you want muchmore than that, - Bernouin! - you shall see, sire, howmuch you really want."

"What, cardinal!" said the king, "are you going to consult alackey about my affairs?"

"Bernouin!" cried the cardinal again, without appearing toremark the humiliation of the young prince. "Come here,Bernouin, and tell me the figures I gave you just now."

"Cardinal, cardinal! did you not hear me?" said Louis,turning pale with anger.

"Do not be angry, sire; I deal openly with the affairs ofyour majesty. Every one in France knows that; my books areas open as day. What did I tell you to do just now,Bernouin?"

"Your eminence commanded me to cast up an account."

"You did it, did you not?"

"Yes, my lord."

"To verify the amount of which his majesty, at this moment,stands in need. Did I not tell you so? Be frank, my friend."

"Your eminence said so."

"Well, what sum did I say I wanted?"

"Forty-five millions, I think."

"And what sum could we find, after collecting all ourresources?"

"Thirty-nine millions two hundred and sixty thousand."

"That is correct, Bernouin; that is all I wanted to know.Leave us now," said the cardinal, fixing his brilliant eyeupon the young king, who sat mute with stupefaction.

"However - - " stammered the king.

"What, do you still doubt, sire?" said the cardinal. "Well,here is a proof of what I said."

And Mazarin drew from under his bolster the paper coveredwith figures, which he presented to the king, who turnedaway his eyes, his vexation was so deep.

"Therefore, as it is a million you want, sire, and thatmillion is not set down here, it is forty-six millions yourmajesty stands in need of. Well I don't think that any Jewsin the world would lend such a sum, even upon the crown ofFrance."

The king, clenching his hands beneath his ruffles, pushedaway his chair.

"So it must be then!" said he, "my brother the king ofEngland will die of hunger."

"Sire," replied Mazarin, in the same tone, "remember thisproverb, which I give you as the expression of the soundestpolicy: `Rejoice at being poor when your neighbor is poorlikewise.'"

Louis meditated for a few moments, with an inquisitiveglance directed to the paper, one end of which remainedunder the bolster.

"Then," said he, "it is impossible to comply with my demandfor money, my lord cardinal, is it?"

"Absolutely, sire."

"Remember, this will secure me a future enemy, if he succeedin recovering his crown without my assistance."

"If your majesty only fears that, you may be quite at ease,"replied Mazarin, eagerly.

"Very well, I say no more about it," exclaimed Louis XIV.

"Have I at least convinced you, sire?" placing his hand uponthat of the young king.

"Perfectly."

"If there be anything else, ask it, sire, I shall be mosthappy to grant it to you, having refused this."

"Anything else, my lord?"

"Why yes, am I not devoted body and soul to your majesty?Hola! Bernouin! - lights and guards for his majesty! Hismajesty is returning to his own chamber."

"Not yet, monsieur: since you place your good-will at mydisposal, I will take advantage of it."

"For yourself, sire?" asked the cardinal, hoping that hisniece was at length about to be named.

"No, monsieur, not for myself," replied Louis, "but stillfor my brother Charles."

The brow of Mazarin again became clouded, and he grumbled afew words that the king could not catch.