g to rest yourself, M. Fouquet?" said he.

"Yes, sire, I am not accustomed to take rest."

"But you are ill; you must take care of yourself."

"Your majesty spoke just now of a speech to be pronounced to-morrow."

His majesty made no reply; this unexpected stroke embarrassed him.
Fouquet felt the weight of this hesitation. He thought he could
read danger in the eyes of the young prince, which fear would but
precipitate. "If I appear frightened, I am lost," thought he.

The king, on his part, was only uneasy at the alarm of Fouquet. "Has he
a suspicion of anything?" murmured he.

"If his first word is severe," again thought Fouquet; "if he becomes
angry, or feigns to be angry for the sake of a pretext, how shall I
extricate myself? Let us smooth the declivity a little. Gourville was
right."

"Sire," said he, suddenly, "since the goodness of the king watches over
my health to the point of dispensing with my labor, may I not be allowed
to be absent from the council of to-morrow? I could pass the day in
bed, and will entreat the king to grant me his physician, that we may
endeavor to find a remedy against this fearful fever."

"So be it, Monsieur Fouquet, it shall be as you desire; you shall have
a holiday to-morrow, you shall have the physician, and shall be restored
to health."

"Thanks!" said Fouquet, bowing. Then, opening his game: "Shall I
not have the happiness of conducting your majesty to my residence of
Belle-Isle?"

And he looked Louis full in the face, to judge of the effect of such a
proposal. The king blushed again.

"Do you know," replied he, endeavoring to smile, "that you have just
said, 'My residence of Belle-Isle'?"

"Yes, sire."

"Well! do you not remember," continued the king in the same cheerful
tone, "that you gave me Belle-Isle?"

"That is true again, sire. Only, as you have not taken it, you will
doubtless come with me and take possession of it."

"I mean to do so."

"That was, besides, your majesty's intention as well as mine; and I
cannot express to your majesty how happy and proud I have been to see
all the king's regiments from Paris to help take possession."

The king stammered out that he did not bring the musketeers for that
alone.

"Oh, I am convinced of that," said Fouquet, warmly; "your majesty knows
very well that you have nothing to do but to come alone with a cane in
your hand, to bring to the ground all the fortifications of Belle-Isle."

"_Peste!_" cried the ki