Fifty persons were waiting for the superintendent. He didnot even take the time to place himself in the hands of hisvalet de chambre for a minute, but from the perron wentstraight into the premier salon. There his friends wereassembled in full chat. The intendant was about to ordersupper to be served, but, above all, the Abbe Fouquetwatched for the return of his brother, and was endeavoringto do the honors of the house in his absence. Upon thearrival of the superintendent, a murmur of joy and affectionwas heard; Fouquet, full of affability, good humor, andmunificence, was beloved by his poets, his artists, and hismen of business. His brow, upon which his little court read,as upon that of a god, all the movements of his soul, andthence drew rules of conduct, - his brow, upon whichaffairs of state never impressed a wrinkle, was this eveningpaler than usual, and more than one friendly eye remarkedthat pallor. Fouquet placed himself at the head of thetable, and presided gayly during supper. He recountedVatel's expedition to La Fontaine, related the history ofMenneville and the skinny fowl to Pellisson, in such amanner that all the table heard it. A tempest of laughterand jokes ensued, which was only checked by a serious andeven sad gesture from Pellisson. The Abbe Fouquet, not beingable to comprehend why his brother should have led theconversation in that direction, listened with all his ears,and sought in the countenance of Gourville, or in that ofhis brother, an explanation which nothing afforded him.Pellisson took up the matter: - "Did they mention M.Colbert, then?" said he.

"Why not?" replied Fouquet; "if true, as it is said to be,that the king has made him his intendant?" Scarcely hadFouquet uttered these words, with a marked intention, thanan explosion broke forth among the guests.

"The miser!" said one.

"The mean, pitiful fellow!" said another.

"The hypocrite!" said a third.

Pellisson exchanged a meaning look with Fouquet."Messieurs," said he, "in truth we are abusing a man whom noone knows: it is neither charitable nor reasonable; and hereis monsieur le surintendant, who, I am sure, agrees withme."

"Entirely," replied Fouquet. "Let the fat fowls of M.Colbert alone; our business to-day is with the faisanstruffes of M. Vatel." This speech stopped the dark cloudwhich was beginning to throw its shade over the guests.Gourville succeeded so well in animating the poets with thevin de Joigny; the abbe, intelligent as a man who stands inneed of his host's money, so enlivened the financiers andthe men of the sword, that, amidst the vapors of this joyand the noise of conversation, inquietudes disappearedcompletely. The will of Cardinal Mazarin was the text of theconversation at the second course and dessert; then Fouquetordered bowls of sweetmeats and fountains of liquors to becarried into the salon adjoining the gallery. He led the waythither conducting by the hand a lady, the queen, by hispreference, of the evening. The musicians then supped, andthe promenades in the gallery and the gardens commenced,beneath a spring sky, mild and flower-scented. Pellissonthen approached the superintendent, and said: "Somethingtroubles monseigneur?"

"Greatly," replied the minister, "ask Gourville to tell youwhat it is." Pellisson, on turning round, found La Fontainetreading upon his heels. He was obliged to listen to a Latinverse, which the poet had composed upon Vatel. La Fontainehad, for an hour, been scanning this verse in all corners,seeking some one to pour it out upon advantageously. Hethought he had caught Pellisson, but the latter escaped him;he turned towards Sorel, who had, himself, just composed aquatrain in honor of the supper, and the Amphytrion. LaFontaine in vain endeavored to gain attention to his verses;Sorel wanted to obtain a hearing for his quatrain. He wasobliged to retreat before M. le Comte de Chanost whose armFouquet had just taken. L'Abbe Fouquet perceived that thepoet, absent-minded, as usual, was about to follow the twotalkers, and he interposed. La Fontaine seized upon him, andrecited his verses. The abbe, who was quite innocent ofLatin, nodded his head, in cadence, at every roll which LaFontaine impressed upon his body, according to theundulations of the dactyls and spondees. While this wasgoing on, behind the confiture-basins, Fouquet related theevent of the day to his son-in-law, M. de Chanost. "We willsend the idle and useless to look at the fireworks," saidPellisson to Gourville, "whilst we converse here."

"So be it," said Gourville, addressing four words to Vatel.The latter then led towards the gardens the major part ofthe beaux, the ladies and the chatterers, whilst the menwalked in the gallery, lighted by three hundred wax-lights,in the sight of all; the admirers of fireworks all ran awaytowards the garden. Gourville approached Fouquet, and said:"Monsieur, we are here."

"All!" said Fouquet.

"Yes, - count." The superintendent counted; there wereeight persons. Pellisson and Gourville walked arm in arm, asif conversing upon vague and frivolous subjects. Sorel andtwo officers imitated them, in an opposite direction. TheAbbe Fouquet walked alone. Fouquet, with M. de Chanost,walked as if entirely absorbed in the conversation of hisson-in-law. "Messieurs," said he, "let no one of you raisehis head as he walks, or appear to pay attention to me;continue walking, we are alone, listen to me."

A perfect silence ensued, disturbed only by the distantcries of the joyous guests, from the groves whence theybeheld the fireworks. It was a whimsical spectacle this, ofthese men walking in groups, as if each one was occupiedabout something, whilst lending attention really to only oneamongst them, who, himself, seemed to be speaking only tohis companion. "Messieurs," said Fouquet, "you have, withoutdoubt, remarked the absence of two of my friends thisevening, who were with us on Wednesday. For God's sake,abbe, do not stop, - it is not necessary to enable you tolisten; walk on, carrying your head in a natural way, and asyou have an excellent sight, place yourself at the window,and if any one returns towards the gallery, give us noticeby coughing."

The abbe obeyed.

"I have not observed their absence," said Pellisson, who, atthis moment, was turning his back to Fouquet and walking theother way.

"I do not see M. Lyodot," said Sorel, "who pays me mypension."

"And I," said the abbe, at the window, "do not see M.d'Eymeris, who owes me eleven hundred livres from our lastgame at Brelan."

"Sorel," continued Fouquet, walking bent, and gloomily, "youwill never receive your pension any more from M. Lyodot; andyou, abbe, will never be paid your eleven hundred livres byM. d'Eymeris, for both are doomed to die."

"To die!" exclaimed the whole assembly, arrested, in spiteof themselves, in the comedy they were playing, by thatterrible word.

"Recover yourselves, messieurs," said Fouquet, "for perhapswe are watched - I said: to die!"

"To die!" repeated Pellisson; "what, the men I saw six daysago, full of health, gayety, and the spirit of the future!What then is man, good God! that disease should thus bringhim down, all at once!"

"It is not a disease," said Fouquet.

"Then there is a remedy," said Sorel.

"No remedy. Messieurs de Lyodot and D'Eymeris are on the eveof their last day."

"Of what are these gentlemen dying, then?" asked an officer.

"Ask of him who kills them," replied Fouquet.

"Who kills them? Are they being killed, then?" cried theterrified chorus.

"They do better still; they are hanging them," murmuredFouquet, in a sinister voice, which sounded like a funeralknell in that rich gallery, splendid with pictures, flowers,velvet, and gold. Involuntarily every one stopped; the abbequitted his window; the first fusees of the fireworks beganto mount above the trees. A prolonged cry from the gardensattracted the superintendent to enjoy the spectacle. He drewnear to a window, and his friends placed themselves behindhim, attentive to his least wish. "Messieurs," said he, "M.Colbert has caused to be arrested, tried and will execute mytwo friends; what does it become me to do?"

"Mordieu!" exclaimed the abbe, the first one to speak, "runM. Colbert through the body."

"Monseigneur," said Pellisson, "you must speak to hismajesty."

"The king, my dear Pellisson, himself signed the order forthe execution."

"Well!" said the Comte de Chanost, "the execution must nottake place, then; that is all."

"Impossible," said Gourville, "unless we could corrupt thejailers."

"Or the governor," said Fouquet.

"This night the prisoners might be allowed to escape."

"Which of you will take charge of the transaction?"

"I," said the abbe, "will carry the money."

"And I," said Pellisson, "will be the bearer of the words."

"Words and money," said Fouquet, "five hundred thousandlivres to the governor of the conciergerie, that issufficient, nevertheless, it shall be a million, ifnecessary."

"A million!" cried the abbe; "why, for less than half, Iwould have half Paris sacked."

"There must be no disorder," said Pellisson. "The governorbeing gained, the two prisoners escape; once clear of thefangs of the law, they will call together the enemies ofColbert, and prove to the king that his young justice, likeall other monstrosities, is not infallible."

"Go to Paris, then, Pellisson," said Fouquet, "and bringhither the two victims; to-morrow we shall see."

Gourville gave Pellisson the five hundred thousand livres."Take care the wind does not carry you away," said the abbe;"what a responsibility. Peste! Let me help you a little."

"Silence!" said Fouquet, "somebody is coming. Ah! thefireworks are producing a magical effect." At this moment ashower of sparks fell rustling among the branches of theneighboring trees. Pellisson and Gourville went out togetherby the door of the gallery; Fouquet descended to the gardenwith the five last plotters.