down the greatest scandal upon the dignity of the throne. The
august name of Anne of Austria must never be allowed to pass the lips of
the people accompanied by a smile."

"Justice must be done, however, monsieur."

"Good, sire; but the royal blood cannot be shed on a scaffold."

"The royal blood! you believe that!" cried the king, with fury in his
voice, stamping his foot on the ground. "This double birth is an
invention; and in that invention, particularly, do I see M. d'Herblay's
crime. It is the crime I wish to punish rather than their violence, or
their insult."

"And punish it with death, sire?"

"With death; yes, monsieur."

"Sire," said the surintendant with firmness, as he raised his head
proudly, "your majesty will take the life, if you please, of your
brother Philippe of France; that concerns you alone, and you will
doubtless consult the queen-mother upon the subject. Whatever she may
command will be perfectly correct. I do not wish to mix myself up in it,
not even for the honor of your crown, but I have a favor to ask of you,
and I beg to submit it to you."

"Speak," said the king, in no little degree agitated by his minister's
last words. "What do you require?"

"The pardon of M. d'Herblay and of M. de Valon."

"My assassins."

"Two rebels, sire, that is all."

"Oh! I understand, then, you ask me to forgive your friends."

"My friends!" said Fouquet, deeply wounded.

"Your friends, certainly; but the safety of the state requires that an
exemplary punishment should be inflicted on the guilty."

"I will not permit myself to remind your majesty that I have just
restored you to liberty, and have saved your life."

"Monsieur!"

"I will not allow myself to remind your majesty that had M. d'Herblay
wished to carry out his character of an assassin, he could very easily
have assassinated your majesty this morning in the forest of Senart, and
all would have been over."

The king started.

"A pistol bullet through the head," pursued Fouquet, "and the disfigured
features of Louis XIV., which no one could have recognized, would be M.
d'Herblay's complete and entire justification."

The king turned pale and giddy at the idea of the danger he had escaped.

"If M. d'Herblay," continued Fouquet, "had been an assassin, he had no
occasion to inform me of his plan, in order to succeed. Freed from the
real king, it would have been impossible to guess the false king. And if
the usurper had been recogni