of telling you, are the
good-natured, kind-hearted Porthos; and so they begged you to take care
of Saint-Mande a little."

"Ah!" repeated Porthos.

"But, very happily, I was there," said D'Artagnan, "and presently it
will be my turn."

At this moment Fouquet addressed the king. "Sire," he said, "I have a
favor to solicit of your majesty. M. d'Herblay is not ambitious, but he
knows he can be of some service. Your majesty needs a representative at
Rome, who should be able to exercise a powerful influence there; may I
request a cardinal's hat for M. d'Herblay?" The king started. "I do not
often solicit anything of your majesty," said Fouquet.

"That is a reason, certainly," replied the king, who always expressed
any hesitation he might have in that manner, and to which remark there
was nothing to say in reply.

Fouquet and Aramis looked at each other. The king resumed: "M. d'Herblay
can serve us equally well in France; an archbishopric, for instance."

"Sire," objected Fouquet, with a grace of manner peculiarly his own,
"your majesty overwhelms M. d'Herblay; the archbishopric may, in your
majesty's extreme kindness, be conferred in addition to the hat; the one
does not exclude the other."

The king admired the readiness which he displayed, and smiled, saying:
"D'Artagnan himself could not have answered better." He had no sooner
pronounced the name, than D'Artagnan appeared.

"Did your majesty call me?" he said.

Aramis and Fouquet drew back a step, as if they were about to retire.

"Will your majesty allow me," said D'Artagnan quickly, as he led forward
Porthos, "to present to your majesty M. le Baron de Valon, one of the
bravest gentlemen of France."

As soon as Aramis saw Porthos, he turned as pale as death, while Fouquet
clenched his hands under his ruffles. D'Artagnan smiled at both of them,
while Porthos bowed, visibly overcome before the royal presence.

"Porthos here?" murmured Fouquet in Aramis' ear.

"Hush! there is some treachery at work," said the latter.

"Sire," said D'Artagnan, "it is more than six years ago that I ought to
have presented M. de Valon to your majesty; but certain men resemble
stars, they move not unless their friends accompany them. The Pleiads
are never disunited, and that is the reason I have selected, for the
purpose of presenting him to you, the very moment when you would see M.
d'Herblay by his side."

Aramis almost lost countenance. He looked at D'Artagnan with a proud