uck
him far more than the importance of the secret relative to his twin
brother.

"Monsieur," he said suddenly to Fouquet, "this double birth is a
falsehood; it is impossible--you cannot have been the dupe of it."

"Sire!"

"It is impossible, I tell you, that the honor, the virtue of my mother
can be suspected. And my first minister has not yet done justice on the
criminals?"

"Reflect, sire, before you are hurried away by your anger," replied
Fouquet. "The birth of your brother--"

"I have only one brother--and that is _Monsieur_. You know it as well as
myself. There is a plot, I tell you, beginning with the governor of the
Bastille."

"Be careful, sire, for this man has been deceived as every one else has
by the prince's likeness to yourself."

"Likeness? Absurd!"

"This Marchiali must be singularly like your majesty to be able to
deceive every one's eye," Fouquet persisted.

"Ridiculous!"

"Do not say so, sire; those who had prepared everything in order to face
and deceive your ministers, your mother, your officers of state, the
members of your family, must be quite confident of the resemblance
between you."

"But where are these persons, then!" murmured the king.

"At Vaux."

"At Vaux! and you suffer them to remain there!"

"My most present duty seemed to be your majesty's release. I have
accomplished that duty; and now, whatever your majesty may command shall
be done. I await your orders."

Louis reflected for a few minutes.

"Muster all the troops in Paris," he said.

"All the necessary orders are given for that purpose," replied Fouquet.

"You have given orders!" exclaimed the king.

"For that purpose, yes, sire! your majesty will be at the head of ten
thousand men in less than an hour."

The only reply the king made was to take hold of Fouquet's hand with
such an expression of feeling, that it was very easy to perceive how
strongly he had, until that remark, maintained his suspicions of the
minister, notwithstanding the latter's intervention.

"And with these troops," he said, "we shall go at once and besiege in
your house the rebels who, by this time, will have established and
entrenched themselves there."

"I should be surprised if that were the case," replied Fouquet.

"Why?"

"Because their chief--the very soul of the enterprise having been
unmasked by me, the whole plan seems to me to have miscarried."

"You have unmasked this false prince also?"

"No, I have not seen hi