sed them between her own. D'Artagnan, who felt himself quite
overcome, said: "This is touching, upon my word; she begins where others
leave off."

And La Valliere, who, in the bitterness of her distress, had sunk upon
the ground, rose and walked towards the convent of the Carmelites,
which could now, in the dawning light, be perceived just before them.
D'Artagnan followed her at a distance. The entrance-door was half-open;
she glided in like a shadow, and thanking D'Artagnan by a parting
gesture, disappeared from his sight. When D'Artagnan found himself quite
alone, he reflected very profoundly upon what had just taken place.
"Upon my word," he said, "this looks very much like what is called a
false position. To keep such a secret as that, is to keep a burning coal
in one's breeches-pocket, and trust that it may not burn the stuff.
And yet, not to keep it when I have sworn to do so is dishonorable. It
generally happens that some bright idea or other occurs to me as I am
going along; but I am very much mistaken if I shall not, now, have to go
a long way in order to find the solution of this affair. Yes, but which
way to go? Oh! towards Paris, of course; that is the best way, after
all. Only one must make haste, and in order to make haste four legs are
better than two, and I, unhappily, only have two. 'A horse, a horse,' as
I heard them say at the theatre in London, 'my kingdom for a horse!'
And now I think of it, it need not cost me so much as that, for at the
Barriere de la Conference there is a guard of musketeers, and instead of
the one horse I need, I shall find ten there."

So, in pursuance of this resolution, which he adopted with his usual
rapidity, D'Artagnan immediately turned his back upon the heights of
Chaillot, reached the guard-house, took the fastest horse he could find
there, and was at the palace in less than ten minutes. It was striking
five as he reached the Palais Royal. The king, he was told, had gone to
bed at his usual hour, having been long engaged with M. Colbert, and, in
all probability, was still sound asleep. "Come," said D'Artagnan, "she
spoke the truth; the king is ignorant of everything; if he only knew
one-half of what has happened, the Palais Royal by this time would be
turned upside down." [5]

Chapter XXVII. Showing How Louis, on His Part, Had Passed the Time from
Ten to Half-Past Twelve at Night.

When the king left the apartments of the maids of honor, he found
Colbert awaitin