“M. d’Herblay, Bishop of Vannes!” the usher announced; and Aramis’s grave and thoughtful face appeared in the door-way, between the remains of two garlands, the thread of which the flame of a lamp had just burned.
Chapter IX: M. de Mazarin’s Receipt
FOUQUET would have uttered an exclamation of delight on seeing another friend arrive, if the cold air and constrained appearance of Aramis had not restored all his reserve. “Are you going to join us at our dessert?” he asked. “And yet you would be frightened, perhaps, at the noise we madcaps are making.”
“Monseigneur,” replied Aramis, respectfully, “I will begin by begging you to excuse me for having interrupted this merry meeting; and then I will beg you to give me, after your pleasure, a moment’s audience on matters of business.”
As the word “business” had aroused the attention of some of the epicureans present, Fouquet rose, saying, “Business first of all, M. d’Herblay; we are too happy when matters of business arrive only at the end of a meal.”
As he said this, Fouquet took the hand of Madame de Belliere, who looked at him with a kind of uneasiness, and then led her to an adjoining salon, after having recommended her to the most reasonable of his guests. And then, taking Aramis by the arm, the superintendent led him towards his cabinet.
Aramis, on reaching the cabinet, forgot respect and etiquette; he threw himself into a chair, saying, “Guess whom I have seen this evening?”
“My dear Chevalier, every time you begin in that manner I am sure to hear you announce something disagreeable.
“Well, and this time you will not be mistaken, either, my dear friend,” replied Aramis.
“Do not keep me in suspense,” added the superintendent, phlegmatically.
“Well, then, I have seen Madame de Chevreuse.”
“The old duchess, do you mean?”
“Yes.”
“Her ghost, perhaps?”
“No, no; the old she-wolf herself.”
“Without teeth?”
“Possibly, but not without claws.”
“Well! what harm can she meditate against me? I am no miser, with women who are not prudes. Generosity is a quality that is always prized, even by the woman who no longer dares to provoke love.”
“Madame de Chevreuse knows very well that you are not avaricious, since she wishes to draw some money out of you.
“Indeed! under what pretext?”
“Oh, pretexts are never wanting with her! Let me tell you what hers is. It seems that the duchess has a good many letters of M. de Mazarin’s in her possession.”
“I am not surprised at that, for the prelate was gallant enough.”
“Yes; but these letters have nothing whatever to do with the prelate’s love-affairs. They concern, it is said, financial matters.”
“And accordingly they are less interesting.”
“Do you not suspect what I mean?”
“Not at all.”
“You have never heard that there was a charge of embezzlement?”
“Yes, a hundred, nay, a thousand times. Since I have been engaged in public matters I have hardly heard anything else but that,- just as in your own case when you, a bishop, are charged with impiety, or a musketeer, with cowardice. The very thing of which they are always accusing ministers of finance is the embezzlement of public funds.”
“Very good. But let us specify; for according to the duchess, M. de Mazarin specifies.”
“Let us see what he specifies.”
“Something like a sum of thirteen million livres, the disposal of which it would be very embarrassing for you to disclose.”
“Thirteen millions!” said the superintendent, stretching himself in his arm-chair, in order to enable him the more comfortably to look up towards the ceiling,- “thirteen millions! I am trying to remember them out of all those I have been accused of stealing.”
“Do not laugh, my dear monsieur; it is serious. It is certain that the duchess has certain letters in her possession; and these letters must be genuine, since she wished to sell them to me for five hundred thousand livres.”
“Oh, one can have a very tolerable calumny for such a sum as that!” replied Fouquet. “Ah! now I know what you mean”; and he began to laugh heartily.
“So much the better,” said Aramis, a little reassured.
“I remember the story of those thirteen millions now. Yes, yes, I remember them quite well.”