er arms toward her other son, who supported
and embraced her without fear of irritating the king.

"Sire," murmured she, "you treat your mother cruelly."

"In what, madame?" replied he. "I am only speaking of Madame de
Chevreuse; does my mother prefer Madame de Chevreuse to the security of
the state and to the security of my person? Well, then, madame, I tell
you Madame de Chevreuse is returned to France to borrow money, and that
she addressed herself to M. Fouquet to sell him a certain secret."

"A certain secret!" cried Anne of Austria.

"Concerning pretended robberies that Monsieur le Surintendant had
committed, which is false," added Philippe. "M. Fouquet rejected her
offers with indignation, preferring the esteem of the king to all
complicity with intriguers. Then Madame de Chevreuse sold the secret to
M. Colbert, and as she is insatiable, and was not satisfied with having
extorted a hundred thousand crowns from that clerk, she has flown still
higher, and has endeavored to find still deeper springs. Is that true,
madame?"

"You know all, sire," said the queen, more uneasy than irritated.

"Now," continued Philippe, "I have good reason to dislike this fury, who
comes to my court to plan the dishonor of some and the ruin of others.
If God has suffered certain crimes to be committed, and has concealed
them in the shade of His clemency, I will not permit Madame de Chevreuse
to have the power to counteract the designs of God."

The latter part of this speech had so agitated the queen-mother that her
son had pity on her. He took her hand and kissed it tenderly; she did
not feel that in that kiss, given in spite of repulsions and
bitternesses of the heart, there was a pardon for eight years of
horrible suffering. Philippe allowed the silence of a moment to swallow
the emotions that had just developed themselves. Then, with a cheerful
smile:

"We will not go to-day," said he, "I have a plan." And, turning toward
the door, he hoped to see Aramis, whose absence began to alarm him. The
queen-mother wished to leave the room.

"Remain where you are, mother," said he. "I wish you to make your peace
with M. Fouquet."

"I bear no ill-will toward M. Fouquet; I only dreaded his
prodigalities."

"We will put that to rights, and will take nothing of the surintendant
but his good qualities."

"What is your majesty looking for?" said Henrietta, seeing the king's
eyes constantly turned toward the door, and wishing to let f