did not disturb himself; he offered his hand to Madame
without looking at Monsieur his brother, and led the young
princess to the door of her apartments. It was remarked that
at the threshold of the door, his majesty, freed from every
restraint, or not equal to the situation, sighed very
deeply. The ladies present — for nothing escapes a woman’s
glance — Mademoiselle Montalais, for instance — did not
fail to say to each other, “the king sighed,” and “Madame
sighed too.” This had been indeed the case. Madame had
sighed very noiselessly, but with an accompaniment very far
more dangerous for the king’s repose. Madame had sighed,
first closing her beautiful black eyes, next opening them,
and then, laden, as they were, with an indescribable
mournfulness of expression, she had raised them towards the
king, whose face at that moment visibly heightened in color.
The consequence of these blushes, of these interchanged
sighs, and of this royal agitation, was, that Montalais had
committed an indiscretion which had certainly affected her
companion, for Mademoiselle de la Valliere, less clear
sighted, perhaps, turned pale when the king blushed; and her
attendance being required upon Madame, she tremblingly
followed the princess without thinking of taking the gloves,
which court etiquette required her to do. True it is that
this young country girl might allege as her excuse the
agitation into which the king seemed to be thrown, for
Mademoiselle de la Valliere, busily engaged in closing the
door, had involuntarily fixed her eyes upon the king, who,
as he retired backwards, had his face towards it. The king
returned to the room where the card-tables were set out. He
wished to speak to the different persons there, but it was
easy to see that his mind was absent. He jumbled different
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accounts together, which was taken advantage of by some of
the noblemen who had retained those habits since the time of
Monsieur Mazarin — who had a poor memory, but was a good
calculator. In this way Monsieur Manicamp, with a
thoughtless and absent air — for M. Manicamp was the
honestest man in the world appropriated twenty thousand
francs, which were littering the table, and which did not
seem to belong to any person in particular. In the same way,
Monsieur de Wardes, whose head was doubtless a little
bewildered by the occurrences of the evening, somehow forgot
to leave behind him the sixty double louis which he had won
for the Duke of Buckingham, and which the duke, incapable,
like his father, of soiling his hands with coin of any sort,
had left lying on the table before him. The king only
recovered his attention in some degree at the moment that
Monsieur Colbert, who had been narrowly observant for some
minutes, approached, and, doubtless, with great respect, yet
with much perseverance, whispered a counsel of some sort
into the still tingling ears of the king. The king, at the
suggestion, listened with renewed attention and immediately
looking around him, said, “Is Monsieur Fouquet no longer
here?”
“Yes, sire, I am here,” replied the superintendent, till
then engaged with Buckingham, and approached the king, who
advanced a step towards him with a smiling yet negligent
air. “Forgive me,” said Louis, “if I interrupt your
conversation; but I claim your attention wherever I may
require your services.”
“I am always at the king’s service,” replied Fouquet.
“And your cash-box too,” said the king, laughing with a
false smile.
“My cash-box more than anything else,” said Fouquet, coldly.
“The fact is, I wish to give a fete at Fontainebleau — to
keep open house for fifteen days, and I shall require —- ”
and he stopped glancing at Colbert. Fouquet waited without
showing discomposure; and the king resumed, answering
Colbert’s icy smile, “four million francs.”
“Four million,” repeated Fouquet, bowing profoundly. And his
nails, buried in his bosom, were thrust into his flesh, but
the tranquil expression of his face remained unaltered.
“When will they be required, sire?”
“Take your time, — I mean — no, no, as soon as possible.”
“A certain time will be necessary, sire.”
“Time!” exclaimed Colbert, triumphantly.
“The time, monsieur,” said the superintendent, with the