d the letter, I will tell you how it reached me."

The king read it in great agitation, and immediately said, "Well?"

"Well, sire; your majesty knows a certain carved lock, closing a certain
door of ebony wood, which separates a certain apartment from a certain
blue and white sanctuary?"

"Of course; Louise's boudoir."

"Yes, sire. Well, it was in the keyhole of that lock that I found that
note."

"Who placed it there?"

"Either M. de Bragelonne, or the devil himself; but, inasmuch as the
note smells of amber and not of sulphur, I conclude that it must be,
not the devil, but M. de Bragelonne."

Louis bent down his head, and seemed absorbed in sad and melancholy
reflections. Perhaps something like remorse was at that moment passing
through his heart. "The secret is discovered," he said.

"Sire, I shall do my utmost, that the secret dies in the breast of the
man who possesses it," said Saint-Aignan, in a tone of bravado, as he
moved toward the door; but a gesture of the king made him pause.

"Where are you going?" he inquired.

"Where I am waited for, sire."

"What for?"

"To fight, in all probability."

"You fight!" exclaimed the king. "One moment, if you please, Monsieur le
Comte!"

Saint-Aignan shook his head, as a rebellious child does, whenever any
one interferes to prevent him throwing himself into a well, or playing
with a knife. "But yet, sire," he said.

"In the first place," continued the king, "I require to be enlightened a
little."

"Upon that point, if your majesty will be pleased to interrogate me,"
replied Saint-Aignan, "I will throw what light I can."

"Who told you that M. de Bragelonne had penetrated into that room?"

"The letter which I found in the keyhole told me so."

"Who told you that it was De Bragelonne who put it there?"

"Who but himself would have dared to undertake such a mission?"

"You are right. How was he able to get into your rooms?"

"Ah! that is very serious, inasmuch as all the doors were closed, and my
lackey, Basque, had the keys in his pocket."

"Your lackey must have been bribed."

"Impossible, sire; for if he had been bribed, those who did so would not
have sacrificed the poor fellow, whom, it is not unlikely, they might
want to turn to further use by and by, in showing so clearly that it
was he whom they had made use of."

"Quite true. And now I can only form one conjecture."

"Tell me what it is, sire, and we shall see if it is the same that ha