, melted at the word of the soldiers like butter in the
frying-pans of Friesland housewives.

M. d'Artagnan dispatched a courier to the king to give him an account of
the last success, which redoubled the good humor of his majesty and his
inclination to amuse the ladies. These victories of M. d'Artagnan gave
so much majesty to the prince, that Madame de Montespan no longer
called him anything but Louis the Invincible. So that Mademoiselle de
la Valliere, who only called the king Louis the Victorious, lost much
of his majesty's favor. Besides, her eyes were frequently red, and to an
Invincible nothing is more disagreeable than a mistress who weeps while
everything is smiling round her. The star of Mademoiselle de la Valliere
was being drowned in clouds and tears. But the gayety of Madame de
Montespan redoubled with the successes of the king, and consoled him for
every other unpleasant circumstance. It was to D'Artagnan the king owed
this; and his majesty was anxious to acknowledge these services; he
wrote to M. Colbert:

"MONSIEUR COLBERT,--We have a promise to fulfil with M. d'Artagnan,
who so well keeps his. This is to inform you that the time is come for
performing it. All provisions for this purpose you shall be furnished
with in due time. LOUIS."

In consequence of this, Colbert, detaining D'Artagnan's envoy, placed in
the hands of that messenger a letter from himself, and a small coffer
of ebony inlaid with gold, not very important in appearance, but which,
without doubt, was very heavy, as a guard of five men was given to the
messenger, to assist him in carrying it. These people arrived before
the place which D'Artagnan was besieging towards daybreak, and presented
themselves at the lodgings of the general. They were told that M.
d'Artagnan, annoyed by a sortie which the governor, an artful man, had
made the evening before, and in which the works had been destroyed and
seventy-seven men killed, and the reparation of the breaches commenced,
had just gone with twenty companies of grenadiers to reconstruct the
works.

M. Colbert's envoy had orders to go and seek M. d'Artagnan, wherever
he might be, or at whatever hour of the day or night. He directed his
course, therefore, towards the trenches, followed by his escort, all
on horseback. They perceived M. d'Artagnan in the open plain, with his
gold-laced hat, his long cane, and gilt cuffs. He was biting his white
mustache, and wiping off, with his left hand, the du