A moment longer," said Aramis to him, with his accustomed gentleness of
manner; "what has just now taken place is only a detail, and to-morrow
we shall have no occasion to think anything more about it; but the
ceremony of the king's retiring to rest, the etiquette observed in
addressing the king, that indeed is of the greatest importance. Learn,
sire, and study well how you ought to go to bed of a night. Look! look!"

CHAPTER LXXXIX.

COLBERT.

History will tell us, or rather history has told us, of the various
events of the following day, of the splendid fetes given by the
surintendant to his sovereign. There was nothing but amusement and
delight allowed to prevail throughout the whole of the following day;
there was a promenade, a banquet, a comedy to be acted, and a comedy,
too, in which, to his great amazement, Porthos recognized M. Coquelin de
Voliere as one of the actors, in the piece called "Les Facheux." Full of
preoccupation, however, from the scene of the previous evening, and
hardly recovered from the effects of the poison which Colbert had then
administered to him, the king, during the whole of the day, so brilliant
in its effects, so full of unexpected and startling novelties, in which
all the wonders of the "Arabian Nights' Entertainments" seemed to be
reproduced for his especial amusement--the king, we say, showed himself
cold, reserved, and taciturn. Nothing could smooth the frowns upon his
face; everyone who observed him noticed that a deep feeling of
resentment, of remote origin, increased by slow degrees, as the source
becomes a river, thanks to the thousand threads of water which increase
its body, was keenly alive in the depths of the king's heart. Toward the
middle of the day only did he begin to resume a little serenity of
manner, and by that time he had, in all probability, made up his mind.
Aramis, who followed him step by step in his thoughts, as in his walk,
concluded that the event that he was expecting would not be long before
it was announced. This time Colbert seemed to walk in concert with the
bishop of Vannes, and had he received for every annoyance which he
inflicted on the king a word of direction from Aramis, he could not have
done better. During the whole of the day the king, who, in all
probability, wished to free himself from some of the thoughts which
disturbed his mind, seemed to seek La Valliere's society as actively as
he seemed to show his anxiety to flee that of M.