the alert, could alone have
discovered them, had gone to devour his apricots upon the entablature of
a house in the square of Notre Dame. Thence he saw the king, the queen
and Monsieur Mazarin, and heard the mass as well as if he had been on
duty.

Toward the end of the service, the queen, seeing Comminges standing near
her, waiting for a confirmation of the order she had given him before
quitting the Louvre, said in a whisper:

"Go, Comminges, and may God aid you!"

Comminges immediately left the church and entered the Rue Saint
Christophe. Friquet, seeing this fine officer thus walk away, followed
by two guards, amused himself by pursuing them and did this so much the
more gladly as the ceremony ended at that instant and the king remounted
his carriage.

Hardly had the police officer observed Comminges at the end of the Rue
Cocatrix when he said one word to the coachman, who at once put his
vehicle into motion and drove up before Broussel's door. Comminges
knocked at the door at the same moment, and Friquet was waiting behind
Comminges until the door should be opened.

"What dost thou there, rascal?" asked Comminges.

"I want to go into Master Broussel's house, captain," replied Friquet,
in that wheedling way the "gamins" of Paris know so well how to assume
when necessary.

"And on what floor does he live?" asked Comminges.

"In the whole house," said Friquet; "the house belongs to him; he
occupies the second floor when he works and descends to the first to
take his meals; he must be at dinner now; it is noon."

"Good," said Comminges.

At this moment the door was opened, and having questioned the servant
the officer learned that Master Broussel was at home and at dinner.

Broussel was seated at the table with his family, having his wife
opposite to him, his two daughters by his side, and his son,
Louvieres, whom we have already seen when the accident happened to the
councillor--an accident from which he had quite recovered--at the bottom
of the table. The worthy man, restored to perfect health, was tasting
the fine fruit which Madame de Longueville had sent to him.

At sight of the officer Broussel was somewhat moved, but seeing him
bow politely he rose and bowed also. Still, in spite of this reciprocal
politeness, the countenances of the women betrayed a certain amount of
uneasiness; Louvieres became very pale and waited impatiently for the
officer to explain himself.

"Sir," said Comminges, "I am