cardinal's spies brought bad
news from every direction, which greatly agitated the minister, but was
calmly received by the queen. The latter seemed to be maturing in her
mind some great stroke, a fact which increased the uneasiness of the
cardinal, who knew the proud princess and dreaded much the determination
of Anne of Austria.

The coadjutor returned to parliament more a monarch than king, queen,
and cardinal, all three together. By his advice a decree from
parliament summoned the citizens to lay down their arms and demolish the
barricades. They now knew that it required but one hour to take up arms
again and one night to reconstruct the barricades.

Rochefort had returned to the Chevalier d'Humieres his fifty horsemen,
less two, missing at roll call. But the chevalier was himself at heart a
Frondist and would hear nothing said of compensation.

The mendicant had gone to his old place on the steps of Saint Eustache
and was again distributing holy water with one hand and asking alms with
the other. No one could suspect that those two hands had been engaged
with others in drawing out from the social edifice the keystone of
royalty.

Louvieres was proud and satisfied; he had taken revenge on Mazarin and
had aided in his father's deliverance from prison. His name had been
mentioned as a name of terror at the Palais Royal. Laughingly he said to
the councillor, restored to his family:

"Do you think, father, that if now I should ask for a company the queen
would give it to me?"

D'Artagnan profited by this interval of calm to send away Raoul, whom he
had great difficulty in keeping shut up during the riot, and who wished
positively to strike a blow for one party or the other. Raoul had
offered some opposition at first; but D'Artagnan made use of the Comte
de la Fere's name, and after paying a visit to Madame de Chevreuse,
Raoul started to rejoin the army.

Rochefort alone was dissatisfied with the termination of affairs. He had
written to the Duc de Beaufort to come and the duke was about to arrive,
and he world find Paris tranquil. He went to the coadjutor to consult
with him whether it would not be better to send word to the duke to stop
on the road, but Gondy reflected for a moment, and then said:

"Let him continue his journey."

"All is not then over?" asked Rochefort.

"My dear count, we have only just begun."

"What induces you to think so?"

"The knowledge that I have of the queen's heart; she will