"Oh! nothing, sire. This is no business of mine."
The king had already taken up the pen, and was applying it to the paper.
"Sire," said Colbert in a subdued voice, "I beg to warn your majesty, that if an example be necessary, there will be difficulty in the execution of your orders."
"What do you say?" said Louis.
"You must not conceal from yourself," continued Colbert quietly, "that attacking the farmers-general is attacking the superintendence. The two unfortunate guilty men in question are the particular friends of a powerful personage, and the punishment, which otherwise might be comfortably confined to the Chatlet, will doubtless be a signal for disturbances!"
Louis colored and turned towards D'Artagnan, who took a slight bite at his mustache, not without a smile of pity for the financier, and for the king who had to listen to him so long. But Louis seized the pen, and with a movement so rapid that his hand shook, he affixed his signature at the bottom of the two papers presented by Colbert, - then looking the latter in the face, - "Monsieur Colbert," said he, "when you speak to me on business, exclude more frequently the word difficulty from your reasonings and opinions; as to the word impossibility, never pronounce it."
Colbert bowed, much humiliated at having to undergo such a lesson before the musketeer; he was about to go out, but, jealous to repair his check:
"I forgot to announce to your majesty," said he, "that the confiscations amount to the sum of five millions of livres."
"That's pretty well!" thought D'Artagnan.
"Which makes in my coffers?" said the king.
"Eighteen millions of livres, sire," replied Colbert, bowing.
"_Mordioux!_" growled D'Artagnan, "that's glorious!"
"Monsieur Colbert," added the king, "you will, if you please, go through the gallery where M. Lyonne is waiting, and will tell him to bring hither what he has drawn up - by my order."
"Directly, sire; if your majesty wants me no more this evening?"
"No, monsieur: good-night!" And Colbert went out.
"Now, let us return to our affair, M. d'Artagnan," said the king, as if nothing had happened. "You see that, with respect to money, there is already a notable change."
"Something to the tune of from zero to eighteen millions," replied the musketeer gayly. "Ah! that was what your majesty wanted the day King Charles II. came to Blois. The two states would not have been embroiled to-day; for I must say, that there also I see another stumbling-block."
"Well, in the first place," replied Louis, "you are unjust, monsieur; for, if Providence had made me able to give my brother the million that day, you would not have quitted my service, and, consequently, you would not have made your fortune, as you told me just now you have done. But, in addition to this, I have had another piece of good fortune; and my difference with Great Britain need not alarm you."
A _valet de chambre_ interrupted the king by announcing M. Lyonne. "Come in, monsieur," said the king; "you are punctual; that is like a good servant. Let us see your letter to my brother Charles II."
D'Artagnan pricked up his ears. "A moment, monsieur," said Louis carelessly to the Gascon; "I must expedite to London my consent to the marriage of my brother, M. le Duc d'Anjou, with the Princess Henrietta Stuart."
"He is knocking me about, it seems," murmured D'Artagnan, whilst the king signed the letter, and dismissed M. de Lyonne; "but _ma foi!_ the more he knocks me about in this manner, the better I like it."
The king followed M. de Lyonne with his eyes, till the door was closed behind him; he even made three steps, as if he would follow the minister; but, after these three steps, stopping, passing, and coming back to the musketeer, - "Now, monsieur," said he, "let us hasten to terminate our affair. You told me the other day, at Blois, that you were not rich?"
"But I am now, sire."
"Yes, but that does not concern me; you have your own money, not mine;
_that_ does not enter into my account."
"I do not well understand what your majesty means."
"Then, instead of leaving you to draw out words, speak spontaneously.
Should you be satisfied with twenty thousand livres a year as a fixed income?"
"But, sire" said D'Artagnan, opening his eyes to the utmost.
"Would you be satisfied with four horses furnished and kept, and with a supplement of funds such as you might require, according to occasions and needs, or would you prefer a fixed sum which would be, for example, forty thousand livres? Answer."
"Sire, your majesty - "
"Yes, you are surprised; that is natural, and I expected it. Answer me, come! or I shall think you have no longer that rapidity of judgment I have so much admired in you."
"It is certain, sire, that twenty thousand livres a year make a handsome sum; but - "
"No buts! Yes or no, is it an honorable indemnity?"
"Oh! very certainly."
"You will be satisfied with it? That is well. It will be better to reckon the extra expenses separately; you can arrange that with Colbert.
Now let us pass to something more important."
"But, sire, I told your majesty - "
"That you wanted rest, I know you did: only I replied that I would not allow it - I am master, I suppose?"
"Yes, sire."
"That is well. You were formerly in the way of becoming captain of the musketeers?"
"Yes, sire."
"Well, here is your commission signed. I place it in this drawer. The day on which you return from a certain expedition which I have to confide to you, on that day you may yourself take the commission from the drawer." D'Artagnan still hesitated, and hung down his head. "Come, monsieur," said the king, "one would believe, to look at you, that you did not know that at the court of the most Christian king, the captain- general of the musketeers takes precedence of the marechals of France."
"Sire, I know he does."
"Then, am I to think you do put no faith in my word?"
"Oh! sire, never - never dream of such a thing."
"I have wished to prove to you, that you, so good a servant, had lost a good master; am I anything like the master that will suit you?"
"I begin to think you are, sire."