The Theatin entered deliberately, without being too muchastonished at the noise and agitation which anxiety for thecardinal's health had raised in his household. "Come in, myreverend father," said Mazarin, after a last look at theruelle, "come in and console me."

"That is my duty, my lord," replied the Theatin.

"Begin by sitting down, and making yourself comfortable, forI am going to begin with a general confession, you willafterwards give me a good absolution, and I shall believemyself more tranquil."

"My lord," said the father, "you are not so ill as to make ageneral confession urgent - and it will be very fatiguing- take care."

"You suspect then, that it may be long, father"

"How can I think it otherwise, when a man has lived socompletely as your eminence has done?"

"Ah! that is true! - yes - the recital may be long."

"The mercy of God is great," snuffled the Theatin.

"Stop," said Mazarin; "there I begin to terrify myself withhaving allowed so many things to pass which the Lord mightreprove."

"Is not that always so?" said the Theatin naively, removingfurther from the lamp his thin pointed face, like that of amole. "Sinners are so forgetful beforehand, and scrupulouswhen it is too late."

"Sinners?" replied Mazarin. "Do you use that wordironically, and to reproach me with all the genealogies Ihave allowed to be made on my account - I - the son of afisherman, in fact?"*

*This is quite untranslatable - it being a play upon thewords pecheur, a sinner, and pecheur, a fisherman. It is invery bad taste. - TRANS.

"Hum!" said the Theatin.

"That is a first sin, father; for I have allowed myself madeto descend from two old Roman consuls, S. Geganius Macerinus1st, Macerinus 2d, and Proculus Macerinus 3d, of whom theChronicle of Haolander speaks. From Macerinus to Mazarin theproximity was tempting. Macerinus, a diminutive, meansleanish, poorish, out of case. Oh! reverend father! Mazarinimay now be carried to the augmentative Maigre, thin asLazarus. Look! ' and he showed his fleshless arms.

"In your having been born of a family of fishermen I seenothing injurious to you; for - St. Peter was a fisherman;and if you are a prince of the church, my lord, he was thesupreme head of it. Pass on, if you please."

"So much the more for my having threatened with the Bastilea certain Bounet, a priest of Avignon, who wanted to publisha genealogy of the Casa Mazarini much too marvelous."

"To be probable?" replied the Theatin.

"Oh! if I had acted up to his idea, father, that would havebeen the vice of pride - another sin."

"It was excess of wit, and a person is not to be reproachedwith such sorts of abuses. Pass on, pass on!"

"I was all pride. Look you, father, I will endeavor todivide that into capital sins."

"I like divisions, when well made."

"I am glad of that. You must know that in 1630 - alas! thatis thirty-one years ago - - "

"You were then twenty-nine years old, monseigneur."

"A hot-headed age. I was then something of a soldier, and Ithrew myself at Casal into the arquebuscades, to show that Irode on horseback as well as an officer. It is true, Irestored peace between the French and the Spaniards. Thatredeems my sin a little."

"I see no sin in being able to ride well on horseback," saidthe Theatin; "that is in perfect good taste, and does honorto our gown. As a Christian, I approve of your havingprevented the effusion of blood; as a monk I am proud of thebravery a monk has exhibited."

Mazarin bowed his head humbly. "Yes," said he, "but theconsequences?"

"What consequences?"

"Eh! that damned sin of pride has roots without end. Fromthe time that I threw myself in that manner between twoarmies, that I had smelt powder and faced lines of soldiers,I have held generals a little in contempt."

"Ah!" said the father.

"There is the evil; so that I have not found one endurablesince that time."

"The fact is," said the Theatin, "that the generals we havehad have not been remarkable."

"Oh!" cried Mazarin, "there was Monsieur le Prince. I havetormented him thoroughly."

"He is not much to be pitied: he has acquired sufficientglory, and sufficient wealth."

"That may be, for Monsieur le Prince; but M. Beaufort, forexample - whom I held suffering so long in the dungeon ofVincennes?"

"Ah! but he was a rebel, and the safety of the staterequired that you should make a sacrifice. Pass on!"

"I believe I have exhausted pride. There is another sinwhich I am afraid to qualify."

"I can qualify it myself. Tell it."

"A great sin, reverend father!"

"We shall judge, monseigneur."

"You cannot fail to have heard of certain relations which Ihave had - with her majesty the queen-mother; - themalevolent - - "

"The malevolent, my lord, are fools. Was it not necessaryfor the good of the state and the interests of the youngking, that you should live in good intelligence with thequeen? Pass on, pass on!"

"I assure you," said Mazarin, "you remove a terrible weightfrom my breast."

"These are all trifles! - look for something serious."

"I have had much ambition, father."

"That is the march of great minds and things, my lord."

"Even the longing for the tiara?"

"To be pope is to be the first of Christians. Why should younot desire that?"

"It has been printed that, to gain that object, I had soldCambria to the Spaniards."

"You have, perhaps, yourself written pamphlets withoutseverely persecuting pamphleteers."

"Then, reverend father, I have truly a clean breast. I feelnothing remaining but slight peccadilloes."

"What are they?"

"Play."

"That is rather worldly: but you were obliged by the dutiesof greatness to keep a good house."

"I like to win."

"No player plays to lose."

"I cheated a little."

"You took your advantage. Pass on."

"Well! reverend father, I feel nothing else upon myconscience. Give me absolution, and my soul will be able,when God shall please to call it, to mount without obstacleto the throne - - "

The Theatin moved neither his arms nor his lips. "What areyou waiting for, father?" said Mazarin.

"I am waiting for the end."

"The end of what?"

"Of the confession, monsieur."

"But I have ended."

"Oh, no; your eminence is mistaken."

"Not that I know of."

"Search diligently."

"I have searched as well as possible."

"Then I shall assist your memory."

"Do."

The Theatin coughed several times. "You have said nothing ofavarice, another capital sin, nor of those millions," saidhe.

"What millions, father?"

"Why, those you possess, my lord."

"Father, that money is mine, why should I speak to you aboutthat?"

"Because, see you, our opinions differ. You say that moneyis yours, whilst I - I believe it is rather the property ofothers."

Mazarin lifted his cold hand to his brow, which was beadedwith perspiration. "How so?" stammered he.

"This way. Your excellency has gained much wealth - in theservice of the king."

"Hum! much - that is, not too much."

"Whatever it may be, whence came that wealth?

"From the state."

"The state, that is the king."

"But what do you conclude from that, father?" said Mazarin,who began to tremble.

"I cannot conclude without seeing a list of the riches youpossess. Let us reckon a little, if you please. You have thebishopric of Metz?"

"Yes."

"The abbeys of St. Clement, St. Arnould, and St. Vincent,all at Metz?"

"Yes."

"You have the abbey of St. Denis, in France, a magnificentproperty?"

"Yes, father."

"You have the abbey of Cluny, which is rich?"

"I have."

"That of St. Medard at Soissons, with a revenue of onehundred thousand livres?"

"I cannot deny it."

"That of St. Victor, at Marseilles, - one of the best inthe south?"

"Yes, father."

"A good million a year. With the emoluments of thecardinalship and the ministry, I say too little when I saytwo millions a year."

"Eh!"

"In ten years that is twenty millions, - and twentymillions put out at fifty per cent give, by progression,twenty-three millions in ten years."

"How well you reckon for a Theatin!"

"Since your eminence placed our order in the convent weoccupy, near St. Germain des Pres, in 1641, I have kept theaccounts of the society."

"And mine likewise, apparently, father."

"One ought to know a little of everything, my lord."

"Very well. Conclude, at present."

"I conclude that your baggage is too heavy to allow you topass through the gates of Paradise."

"Shall I be damned?"

"If you do not make restitution, yes."

Mazarin uttered a piteous cry. "Restitution! - but to whom,good God?"

"To the owner of that money, - to the king."

"But the king did not give it all to me."

"One moment, - does not the king sign the ordonnances?"

Mazarin passed from sighs to groans. "Absolution!absolution!" cried he.

"Impossible, my lord. Restitution! restitution!" replied theTheatin.

"But you absolve me from all other sins, why not from that?"

"Because," replied the father, "to absolve you for thatmotive would be a sin for which the king would never absolveme, my lord."

Thereupon the confessor quitted his penitent with an airfull of compunction. He then went out in the same manner hehad entered.

"Oh, good God!" groaned the cardinal. "Come here, Colbert, Iam very, very ill indeed, my friend."