queen’s disposal.
“Well,” asked Anne of Austria, when D’Artagnan reappeared,
“what does it mean?”
“It means, madame, that the report has spread that the queen
has left the Palais Royal, carrying off the king, and the
people ask to have proof to the contrary, or threaten to
demolish the Palais Royal.”
“Oh, this time it is too much!” exclaimed the queen, “and I
will prove to them I have not left.”
D’Artagnan saw from the expression of the queen’s face that
she was about to issue some violent command. He approached
her and said in a low voice:
“Has your majesty still confidence in me?”
This voice startled her. “Yes, sir,” she replied, “every
confidence; speak.”
“Will the queen deign to follow my advice?”
“Speak.”
“Let your majesty dismiss M. de Comminges and desire him to
shut himself up with his men in the guardhouse and in the
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stables.”
Comminges glanced at D’Artagnan with the envious look with
which every courtier sees a new favorite spring up.
“You hear, Comminges?” said the queen.
D’Artagnan went up to him; with his usual quickness he
caught the anxious glance.
“Monsieur de Comminges,” he said, “pardon me; we both are
servants of the queen, are we not? It is my turn to be of
use to her; do not envy me this happiness.”
Comminges bowed and left.
“Come,” said D’Artagnan to himself, “I have got one more
enemy.”
“And now,” said the queen, addressing D’Artagnan, “what is
to be done? for you hear that, instead of becoming calmer,
the noise increases.”
“Madame,” said D’Artagnan, “the people want to see the king
and they must see him.”
“What! must see him! Where — on the balcony?”
“Not at all, madame, but here, sleeping in his bed.”
“Oh, your majesty,” exclaimed Laporte, “Monsieur d’Artagnan
is right.”
The queen became thoughtful and smiled, like a woman to whom
duplicity is no stranger.
“Without doubt,” she murmured.
“Monsieur Laporte,” said D’Artagnan, “go and announce to the
people through the grating that they are going to be
satisfied and that in five minutes they shall not only see
the king, but they shall see him in bed; add that the king
sleeps and that the queen begs that they will keep silence,
so as not to awaken him.”
“But not every one; a deputation of two or four people.”
“Every one, madame.”
“But reflect, they will keep us here till daybreak.
“It shall take but a quarter of an hour, I answer for
everything, madame; believe me, I know the people; they are
like a great child, who only wants humoring. Before the
sleeping king they will be mute, gentle and timid as lambs.”
“Go, Laporte,” said the queen.
The young king approached his mother and said, “Why do as
these people ask?”
“It must be so, my son,” said Anne of Austria.
“But if they say, `it must be’ to me, am I no longer king?”
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The queen remained silent.
“Sire,” said D’Artagnan, “will your majesty permit me to ask
you a question?”
Louis XIV. turned around, astonished that any one should
dare to address him. But the queen pressed the child’s hand.
“Yes, sir.” he said.
“Does your majesty remember, when playing in the park of
Fontainebleau, or in the palace courts at Versailles, ever
to have seen the sky grow suddenly dark and heard the sound
of thunder?”
“Yes, certainly.”
“Well, then, this noise of thunder, however much your
majesty may have wished to continue playing, has said, `go
in, sire. You must do so.'”
“Certainly, sir; but they tell me that the noise of thunder
is the voice of God.”
“Well then, sire,” continued D’Artagnan, “listen to the
noise of the people; you will perceive that it resembles
that of thunder.”
In truth at that moment a terrible murmur was wafted to them
by the night breeze; then all at once it ceased.
“Hold, sire,” said D’Artagnan, “they have just told the
people that you are asleep; you see, you still are king.”
The queen looked with surprise at this strange man, whose
brilliant courage made him the equal of the bravest, and who