--Your
affectionate LOUIS."

The king, after reperusing the letter, sealed it himself.

"This letter for my lord cardinal," said he.

The gentleman took it. At Mazarin's door he found Bernouin waiting with
anxiety.

"Well?" asked the minister's _valet de chambre_.

"Monsieur," said the gentleman, "here is a letter for his eminence."

"A letter! Ah! we expected one after the little journey of the morning."

"Oh! you know, then, that his majesty--"

"As first minister, it belongs to the duties of our charge to know
everything. And his majesty prays and implores, I presume."

"I don't know, but he sighed frequently whilst he was writing."

"Yes, yes, yes; we understand all that; people sigh sometimes from
happiness as well as from grief, monsieur."

"And yet the king did not look very happy when he returned, monsieur."

"You did not see clearly. Besides, you only saw his majesty on his
return, for he was only accompanied by the lieutenant of the guards. But
I had his eminence's telescope; I looked through it when he was tired,
and I am sure they both wept."

"Well! was it for happiness they wept?"

"No, but for love, and they vowed to each other a thousand tendernesses,
which the king asks no better to keep. Now this letter is a beginning of
the execution."

"And what does his eminence think of this love, which is, by the bye, no
secret to anybody?"

Bernouin took the gentleman by the arm, and whilst ascending the
staircase,--"In confidence," said he, in a low voice, "his eminence
looks for success in the affair. I know very well we shall have war with
Spain; but, bah! war will please the nobles. My lord cardinal, besides,
can endow his niece royally, nay, more than royally. There will be
money, festivities, and fire-works--everybody will be delighted."

"Well, for my part," replied the gentleman, shaking his head, "it
appears to me that this letter is very light to contain all that."

"My friend," replied Bernouin, "I am certain of what I tell you. M.
d'Artagnan related all that passed to me."

"Ay, ay! and what did he tell you? Let us hear."

"I accosted him by asking him, on the part of the cardinal, if
there were any news, without discovering my designs, observe, for M.
d'Artagnan is a cunning hand. 'My dear Monsieur Bernouin,' he replied,
'the king is madly in love with Mademoiselle de Mancini, that is all I
have to tell you.' And then I asked him: 'Do you think, to such a degree
that it will