quite as a friend," replied
Fouquet; "and that, upon my life! I have never met with a man of your
intelligence, and your heart?"

"You are pleased to say so," replied D'Artagnan. "Why did you wait till
to-day, to pay me such a compliment?"

"Blind as we are!" murmured Fouquet.

"Your voice is getting hoarse," said D'Artagnan; "drink, monseigneur,
drink!" And he offered him a cup of tisane, with the most friendly
cordiality; Fouquet took it, and thanked him by a bland smile. "Such
things only happen to me," said the musketeer. "I have passed ten years
under your very beard, while you were rolling about tons of gold. You
were clearing an annual pension of four millions; you never observed
me; and you find out there is such a person in the world, just at the
moment--"

"I am about to fall," interrupted Fouquet. "That is true, my dear
Monsieur d'Artagnan."

"I did not say so."

"But you thought so; and that is the same thing. Well! if I fall, take
my word as truth, I shall not pass a single day without saying to
myself, as I strike my brow, 'Fool! fool!--stupid mortal! You had a
Monsieur d'Artagnan under your eye and hand, and you did not employ him,
you did not enrich him!'"

"You quite overwhelm me," said the captain. "I esteem you greatly."

"There exists another man, then, who does not think as M. Colbert does,"
said the surintendant.

"How this M. Colbert slicks in your stomach! He is worse than your
fever!"

"Oh! I have good cause," said Fouquet. "Judge for yourself." And he
related the details of the course of the lighters, and the hypocritical
persecution of Colbert. "Is not this a clear sign of my ruin?"

D'Artagnan became serious. "That is true," said he. "Yes: that has a bad
odor, as M. de Treville used to say." And he fixed upon M. Fouquet his
intelligent and significant look.

"Am I not clearly designated in that, captain? Is not the king bringing
me to Nantes to get me away from Paris, where I have so many creatures,
and to possess himself of Belle-Isle?"

"Where M. d'Herblay is," added D'Artagnan. Fouquet raised his head. "As
for me, monseigneur," continued D'Artagnan, "I can assure you the king
has said nothing to me against you."

"Indeed!"

"The king commanded me to set out for Nantes, it is true; and to say
nothing about it to M. de Gesvres."

"My friend."

"To M. de Gesvres, yes, monseigneur," continued the musketeer, whose
eyes did not cease to speak a language different from the