ferred to the different obstacles in the way are
all now quite removed for us," continued Athos. "Mademoiselle de la
Valliere, without fortune, birth, or beauty, is not the less on that
account the only good match in the world for M. de Bragelonne, since he
loves this young girl."

The king pressed his hands impatiently together. "Does your majesty
hesitate?" inquired the comte, without losing a particle either of his
firmness or his politeness.

"I do not hesitate--I refuse," replied the king.

Athos paused a moment, as if to collect himself: "I have had the honor,"
he said, in a mild tone, "to observe to your majesty that no obstacle
now interferes with M. de Bragelonne's affections, and that his
determination seems unalterable."

"There is my will--and that is an obstacle, I should imagine!"

"That is the most serious of all," Athos replied quickly.

"Ah!"

"And may we, therefore, be permitted to ask your majesty, with the
greatest humility, for your reason for this refusal?"

"The reason!--A question to me!" exclaimed the king.

"A demand, sire!"

The king, leaning with both his hands upon the table, said, in a deep
tone of concentrated passion: "You have lost all recollection of what is
usual at court. At court, please to remember, no one ventures to put a
question to the king."

"Very true, sire; but if men do not question, they conjecture."

"Conjecture! What may that mean, monsieur?"

"Very frequently, sire, conjecture with regard to a particular subject
implies a want of frankness on the part of the king--"

"Monsieur!"

"And a want of confidence on the part of the subject," pursued Athos,
intrepidly.

"You are forgetting yourself," said the king, hurried away by his anger
in spite of his control over himself.

"Sire, I am obliged to seek elsewhere for what I thought I should find
in your majesty. Instead of obtaining a reply from you, I am compelled
to make one for myself."

The king rose. "Monsieur le Comte," he said, "I have now given you all
the time I had at my disposal." This was a dismissal.

"Sire," replied the comte, "I have not yet had time to tell your majesty
what I came with the express object of saying, and I so rarely see your
majesty that I ought to avail myself of the opportunity."

"Just now you spoke of conjectures; you are now becoming offensive,
monsieur."

"Oh, sire! offend your majesty! I? Never! All my life through have I
maintained that kings are above all ot